Updated 2-27-10:  Due to the recent earthquake in Haiti, and earlier this morning, the earthquakes in Chile and Okinawa, as well as tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific basin (including Chile, California, Hawaii, and Alaska), we decided to republish this article.  Are you really prepared for the possibility of living in a state of natural disaster?  Get yourself ready now!

When it comes to emergency preparedness for the pantry, there is never a case when being prepared isn’t helpful.  You never know what will happen, and whether there is an earthquake or your husband loses his job and you have to live off your pantry for a while, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Is your pantry ready for a possible emergency?

My Grammie asked me about the shape of my pantry last week.  I said it was fine because it is full.  That’s what I thought anyway, until I got home and took a good look at the pantry.  It is full of things I got with great coupon plus sale deals, but that mostly is comprised of condiments, laundry supplies, and cooking soups.  Uh oh.

I stared at my pantry and wondered how long we could live out of our pantry if we had to.  The bleak answer that struck me was, “Not very long.” 

Is Your Pantry Ready?

Are you prepared with a well-stocked pantry should the unexpected happen, like a job layoff, a natural disaster, or something similar?  Some of the supplies listed below aren’t food items, but are necessary for cooking, eating, and everyday living, especially during an emergency.  When stocking up your pantry, make sure you’re prepared for any of the following situations with the items listed below.

Baby

If you have a baby, it can be hard to substitute certain items if you run out and can’t buy more.  Do you have enough:

• Disposable Diapers (even if you normally cloth diaper, a loss of water may mean you can’t wash diapers)
• Formula
• Diaper rash medicine
• Baby cereal and baby food

Loss of Water 

In case you should lose your access to running water, you’ll need items to take the place of the many daily uses of water.

• Bottles or jugs of water for drinking.  Learn about purifying and storing clean water safely here in this document prepared by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers and wet wipes for eliminating germs and cleaning.
• Wet wipes for using after going to the bathroom.
• Rubbing alcohol and cotton balls for washing hair without water.
• Bottled juices or juice boxes (not concentrate) that are ready to drink.
• Pedialyte and Gatorade to treat and prevent dehydration.
• Paper plates, plastic forks and spoons, and plastic cups that don’t require washing.

Loss of Electricity

If you should lose power, you’ll need foods that can be eaten without cooking.  You’ll eat the foods out of the refrigerator and freezer first as much as possible to avoid spoiling.  Supplies to use for cooking outdoors are a good idea.

Cooking supplies:

• Extra propane tank for bbq grill.
• Aluminum foil to line the bbq with, so that you can cook foods (like frying eggs) that wouldn’t normally go on the grill.  You may be cooking a lot on the barbecue, so make sure you have several rolls.
• Camping stove.
• Hand can opener that requires no electricity.

Other:

• Canned meats that are pre-cooked.  Spam, tuna, canned chicken, vienna sausages, and deviled ham are good examples of canned meats that are ready to eat right out of the package.  These can easily be warmed up over a fire or camping stove.
• Powdered or dried milk.
• Canned soups, pastas, bacon, stews, canned chow mein (includes pre-cooked meat).

General / Loss of Transportation/Shipping Methods

Loss of transportation and shipping methods is an important emergency preparedness issue for my family in Alaska, since we are remotely located from major food suppliers.  If an emergency was to happen cutting off our grocery stores from their regular shipments, we’d need to be stocked up on non-perishable foods (similar to what food banks stockpile).  These reserves would keep us going until grocery stores could get replenishments of fresh foods.

This is an important consideration if you live far from a major city, in a remote area, or on an island.

• Canned veggies, fruits, meats, soups, pastas, juices, and beans.
• Frozen vegetables and berries, meats, roasts, lunch meats, frozen loaves of bread.
• Baking staples such as flour, sugar, yeast, corn meal, baking soda, baking powder, oil.
• Baking mix (Bisquick).
• Boxed all-in-one dinners that contain canned meat.
• Grains to add to dinners or cook as hot breakfasts (oats, barley, wheat berries, etc.)
• Protein substitutes like protein powder, TVP, and TSP.
• Rice, dried pasta and dried beans.
• Vitamins and supplements.
• Over the counter medicines and first aid supplies.
• Toilet paper.
• Contact solution, spare contacts.
• Toothpaste, floss and fluoride.
• Shampoo, conditioner, soap.
• Detergents and cleaning supplies.
• All the items in the lists above.

Act Now to Stock Up a Little at a Time

Emergency preparedness is not something to do later.  The best time is now!  Be sure to print out this article and tuck these reminder checklists into your pantry.  Each time you go grocery shopping, add a few of the items above to your list to stock up. 

By stocking up a little at a time for an unexpected emergency, you’ll be ready for anything that life throws your way and will have peace of mind knowing that your family will be alright.

If you found this article useful, please blog about it for your readers or share it on a forum.  Here is the URL to link to:  http://www.homeeverafter.com/emergency-preparedness-for-the-pantry-checklists . Thank you!

We originally published this article on emergency preparedness on June 26, 2009.

Emergency Preparedness for the Pantry: Checklists To Get You Ready is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Quick Clean Ups:  The Bigger Picture

Any of the 5 quick clean up methods will make your house appear cleaner, but you don’t have to do all 5 in the same day.  You could even try one per day and watch your house improve as you go along. 

Using the 5 quick clean up techniques will give you fast relief from a messy house and help you make a dent when you don’t know where to start.  However, remember that these quick fixes are just a starting point.  Following up with sorting, organizing, and putting the items back into their homes will give you lasting relief from a house overrun with mess and clutter.  

No matter how messy your house is now, there’s no reason you can’t jump in and start getting it cleaned up today.  Before you know it, your house will be back to comfy, cozy and clean again and will be a place you enjoy coming home to!

Did you miss any of this series?  Read it now:

1. Is Your House a Disaster?  5 Quick Clean Ups That Can Save Your Messy House
2. Quick House Clean Up #1: Dirty Dishes
3. Quick House Clean Up #2: Trash
4. Quick House Clean Up #3: Dirty Laundry and Clothes
5. Quick House Clean Up #4: Toys
6. Quick House Clean Up #5: Papers

Quick Clean Ups: The Bigger Picture is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Quick House Clean Up #5: Papers

Forgot to read the introduction? Before reading on, read 5 Quick Clean Ups That Can Save Your Messy House.

Quick house clean up #5:  Stack All Papers Together.  It’s no shock that paper clutter can make your home look like a tornado hit, since it takes up 8”x11” of space in each spot and can easily fall or be relocated from the slightest breeze (read: kids running by during a close game of indoor tag). 

While sorting and filing papers can take a lot of time,  stacking them together does not. 

For now, we’ll focus on consolidating the mess by gathering all the paper clutter in your house and stacking it into nice neat piles.  Later, as time permits, you can process one stack of papers at a time and make the papers disappear.  In the meantime, having all the papers together will work wonders for making your messy house appear cleaner in a jiffy.  

Here’s How: 

• Choose a room to start in and a spot for your stack of papers (preferably one in a place out of reach or children and not near the edge of a table or counter). 
• Pick up all papers in the room, no matter if they are unopened mail envelopes, receipts, magazine articles, or other types. 
• Put all the papers into one single stack to be sorted, organized, filed, scanned, or shredded later.  Each room will get its own stack of papers, unless you’d prefer to move them all into one room, such as a home office.

Next, read Quick House Clean Ups: The Bigger Picture

Quick House Clean Up #5: Papers is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Quick House Clean Up #4: Toys

Forgot to read the introduction? Before reading on, read 5 Quick Clean Ups That Can Save Your Messy House.

Quick house clean up #4: Pick Up All Toys.  Kids can create a disaster area out of your house in less time than it takes for you to take a nap!  Luckily, if you have children old enough to play with toys, they’re also old enough to put the toys away.

Here’s How: 

• This is one quick clean up that your kids can help you with!  Put some music on and go for a “toy treasure hunt” with your kids. 
• Give each child a trash bag or laundry basket and instructions to go through the house and pick up any toy not in its home.  They should put the toys in their bag or basket until no more can be found. 
• Offer different prizes for the “winner” (the child that finds the most toys) and the runners up. 
• Then, mom gets to take the toys directly to the kids rooms and dump them into the toy boxes.

Next, read Quick House Clean Up #5: Papers

Quick House Clean Up #4: Toys is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Quick House Clean Up #3: Dirty Laundry and Clothes

Forgot to read the introduction? Before reading on, read 5 Quick Clean Ups That Can Save Your Messy House.

Quick house clean up #3:   Pick Up Dirty Laundry and Clothes.  Good preventive measures will keep clothing mess from becoming a mess issue in the first place, but if strewn laundry has taken over your house, never fear!  Getting all the clothes laundered and back into the closets and dressers will make your house look much cleaner.     

Here’s How: 

• Rule # 1 for clothes is this: If they’re on the floor, they’re dirty. 
• Using either a laundry hamper or large trash bag, go through the house and put any clothes you encounter into the container.  Be sure to check floors, couches and chairs, kids’ rooms, closets, and all surfaces for clothes which should not be there. 
• Once done, take the bags or hampers to the laundry room and get started washing the dirty clothes. 
• Be sure that as clean laundry comes out of the dryer, you immediately fold or hang it and put the clothes into closets or dresser drawers to prevent future clothing mess. 

Next, read Quick House Clean Up #4: Toys

Quick House Clean Up #3: Dirty Laundry and Clothes is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Quick House Clean Up #2: Trash

Forgot to read the introduction? Before reading on, read 5 Quick Clean Ups That Can Save Your Messy House.

Quick house clean up #2:  Throw Away all Trash.  Trash is probably the easiest of the 5 offenders to deal with because all you have to do is bag it and put it in the dumpster! 

Whether your problem is piled up junk mail, unread newspapers, trails of goldfish crackers from your toddler, or empty food wrappers, trash will make your house look like a pig sty in no time if you don’t get it under control.  By the same token, clearing out the trash will make your house look cleaner instantly!     

Here’s How: 

• Grab a trash bag and just start walking through the house. 
• Be ruthless and make sure that all trash goes into the bag without a second thought. 
• If something makes you think for more than 10 seconds about whether or not it counts as trash, set it aside for later when you have time to declutter and organize.  
• Once full, immediately tie the trash bags up and put them in the dumpster or the trash barrels for garbage day.

Next, read Quick House Clean Up #3: Dirty Laundry and Clothes

Quick House Clean Up #2: Trash is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Quick House Clean Up #1: Dirty Dishes

Forgot to read the introduction? Before reading on, read 5 Quick Clean Ups That Can Save Your Messy House.

Quick house clean up #1:  Gather all Dirty Dishes.  If you or your family members eat in rooms other than the kitchen / dining room, dirty dishes can accumulate in places they shouldn’t.  Dirty dishes can not only pile up and cause a mess, but the old food in them will start growing mold or bacteria if not washed. 

Just the act of getting the dishes back to the kitchen will have a big visual impact and give your house a cleaner appearance.     

Here’s How:  Depending on the size of your house and degree of the mess, there are 2 ways to go about cleaning up mess from dirty dishes. 

• Small House:  If your house is small, pick a room to start in and gather all the dirty dishes from that room. Take the dirty dishes to the kitchen and load into the dishwasher or stack them all neatly on 1 kitchen counter to be washed by hand.
• Large House:  If your house is large, you’ll need to use a rectangular laundry basket.  Go from room to room, putting all dirty dishes into the laundry basket as you go.  After you’ve been through the entire house, take the basket to the kitchen and wash the dishes.

Next, read Quick House Clean Up #2: Trash

Quick House Clean Up #1: Dirty Dishes is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

5 Quick Clean Ups That Can Save Your Messy House

Is your house such a disaster that you don’t even know where to start?  Cleaning up a messy house can seem like a huge project and you may not even know where to start.  We can teach you how to clean up your house the easy way! 

While looking around at piles and clutter, you may think that nothing you do is going to make a difference because the mess is too much.  Take heart!  Your dirty house is not beyond saving.

These 5 quick clean up tasks can make a world of difference even in the messiest of houses.  There are 5 main items that get scattered throughout homes and create chaos in your space.  Learn to tackle the 5 big mess-makers and get a jump start on cleaning up your messy house today!

Read Quick House Clean Up #1: Dirty Dishes

Photo by xJasonRogersx.

Is Your House a Disaster? 5 Quick Clean Ups That Can Save Your Messy House is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Get Green and Frugal with Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulbs!

Because they last longer, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL bulbs) are a convenient alternative to standard bulbs. CFL bulbs produce an average of 70% less heat than what is produced from a standard bulb, resulting in safer operations and decreased home cooling energy costs.

In comparison to standard incandescent light bulbs, compact fluorescent light bulbs offer several advantages. One of the largest benefits of CFL bulbs is their ability to save both money and energy. CFL bulbs typically last up to ten times longer than standard bulbs and use 2/3 less energy as well.

CFL bulbs come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes that will fit just about any light fixture in your home, both indoors and outdoors.

How Do Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Work?

The technology behind compact fluorescent light bulbs is fairly simple to understand. CFL bulbs generate light differently than standard bulbs that rely on the heating of an internal filament. When standard bulbs are heated, the filament turns white and produces light. This process requires an abundance of energy that is wasted after the bulb is heated.

A compact fluorescent light bulb utilizes a gas that results in ultraviolet lighting. When electricity is used to generate UV light from the gas inside the bulb, the internal coating will change and produce visible light. Without the need for heat to generate light, CFL bulbs use far less energy than standard incandescent bulbs.

How Much Money Can CFL Bulbs Save You?

On average, installing compact fluorescent light bulbs will shave $30 or more off of your energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb. By replacing 8 of your standard light bulbs with CFL bulbs, at $30 per bulb and using 3 bulbs per year, you are looking at a savings of $720 per year (varies by location / energy rates / usage / CFL brand).

In addition to savings in your own pocket, switching to CFL bulbs decreases energy demands globally and results in less impact on the environment caused by energy production. This means less greenhouse gas emission, the main factor in changes in climate. Because CFL bulbs last up to ten times longer than standard bulbs, they produce less waste to send to landfills.

Shopping tip:  When shopping for compact fluorescent light bulbs, be sure to only purchase bulbs that are qualified by Energy Star.

Compact fluorescent light bulb photo by Dave or Atox.

Get Green and Frugal with Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulbs is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Some things just never get cleaned.  Either they’re in hard to reach places, places you can’t see, or they are hard to clean. Maybe they’re just such everyday objects that you don’t think about cleaning them at all.  Whatever the reason, I bet there is more than one item on the list below that you haven’t cleaned in at least six months, and it’s probably pretty dirty by now! 

Don’t be embarrassed!  We all have places we forget about and neglect when cleaning.  Print this list out now and get started on checking these items off as you clean and sanitize.  Find out how to clean each item below, then put them into your cleaning schedule for this week. 

13 Things You Haven’t Cleaned in 6 Months

1.  The top of your refrigerator.  No matter what you keep up there, from kitchen appliances to lunch boxes to hot dog buns, chances are that the top of your refrigerator hasn’t been cleaned and a long time! 

• How to clean the top of the refrigerator.
• Learn how to keep the top of your refrigerator from getting dirty once it’s clean.

2.  Under the bathroom sink (kitchen sink too). How much stuff is under there, and how old is it all? Probably pretty old.  Read this now: How to clean and organize under a sink.  It is especially helpful to have a clean, organized area underneath your sink in case an emergency ever arises, such as a broken pipe.  A clutter-free cabinet will leave much less of a mess for you to clean up from water damage.

3.  Your keyboard.  Many of us type on them all day long, transferring germs from everything else we touch.  The particles that accumulate under the keys can be pretty disgusting as well.  See for yourself -just turn your keyboard upside down right now and watch everything that falls out.  Don’t worry, though!  You can get your keyboard up to par with the following tutorials:

• How to clean a computer keyboard.
• How to wash a keyboard in the dishwasher.

4.  Your mouse.  Ever think about how many germs you pick up from touching things that get transferred to your mouse? Learn how to clean a computer mouse.

Since one of our most frequently asked questions is how to become a better housekeeper, it’s clear that many of us like little tips and tricks that give us the edge on cleaning our houses without spending a lot of time on them.  

5.  The outside of your trash can.  Food splatters are only the beginning of what can cause bacteria to grow on the outside of a trash can.  Keeping it clean will provide a much more pleasant smelling kitchen!

6.  The inside of light fixture covers (lamps, wall lights, ceiling lights, etc.).

7.  Your kids’ backpacks.  Chances are that your kids’ backpacks haven’t been clean since the first day of school!  Those backpacks have gone from place to place collecting dirt and germs for months.  Depending on the material and construction of a backpack, the method of cleaning will be different.  It will either have to be hand washed or machine washed, and this guide for how to wash a backpack explains how to do both.

8.  Picture frames hanging on walls.  They look great showing off your family and friends, but picture frames collect all the dust and particulates from the air inside our homes.  Watch a video that shows how to clean picture frames (for you visual learners) or read how to clean a picture frame here.

9.  The drawer under the oven/stove. 

How to clean this often-forgotten storage space:

• Pull out the drawer completely.
• Remove all items from the drawer.
• Using your vacuum cleaner hose, vacuum out all food particles, crumbs, dust, etc.
• Spray inside of the drawer with anti-bacterial cleaner or vinegar. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then wipe clean with a damp sponge.
• Leave the door open to air dry.
• Once dry, replace the contents of the drawer and close.

10.  The tops of your bookcases. 

How to clean the tops of tall bookcases:

• Find a step stool, small ladder, or sturdy chair to help you reach the top of the bookcase. 
• Remove any plants, knickknacks, or other items that might be on top of the book shelf.
• Dust the top surface with a feather duster or dusting cloth.
• Spray the surface lightly with an appropriate furniture cleaner, then wipe clean with a cleaning cloth or dish towel.
• Replace all items.

11.  The produce / crisper drawers in your refrigerator.  It’s not difficult to learn how to clean refrigerator drawers, see for yourself.

12.  Your purse or handbag.  The amount of E. coli and other bacteria found on the surfaces of purses is astonishing!  According to Nelson Labs in Wisconsin, 25% of all purses tested were carrying E. coli bacteria. If you’re ready to be disgusted, horrified, and mortified into cleaning your purse immediately, read this, this, and this. The main reason for the large amount of bacteria found on purses is because they are transferred from place to place and set on the floor often.  Learn how to clean your purse, no matter what kind of fabric it is constructed from.

13.  The steering wheel, gear shift, and radio surface in your car.  This video shows you how to do it all.

13 Things You Haven’t Cleaned in 6 Months is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

If you’re one of the many home owners that has home DIY projects and supplies on their Christmas list this year, you’re not alone!  I love a good home improvement project, and am happy to be working with Delta to test out their new top-of-the-line touch activated kitchen faucet, the Pilar kitchen faucet with Touch 2O technology.

Delta has been generous enough to bring me this cutting edge technology to try out in my newest experiment.  (Want to ask Santa to bring you a Pilar kitchen faucet this Christmas season?  Keep reading below to find purchasing information!)

We’ll be installing the new Pilar kitchen faucet with Touch2O technology in my new house next month.  Stay tuned to read my personal review after using the faucet, as well as see my video comparison between our old standard faucet and the new Pilar touch activated faucet.

Pilar Faucet as an Affordable Smart Home Fixture

The new Pilar kitchen faucet I’m testing out will be the first smart fixture my husband and I are installing in our new-to-us house.  Our next big experiment involves converting an existing home into a smart home while keeping costs reasonable. 

As a systems expert, one of my passions is smart home technology (aka home automation).  Although many of us can’t afford to buy a fully-outfitted smart house with programmable appliances, computerized HVAC systems, intercoms, lighting controls, etc. which has been constructed to cater to our every need, this doesn’t mean that smart home technology is completely out of our reach. 

Although faucets aren’t generally listed as smart home equipment yet, I feel they will be soon with all the technological advances Delta has implemented in their new Pilar line.

Smart fixtures help to make our lives easier by remembering things for us and cutting down extra steps, as well as saving us energy and money by using resources more efficiently.  The Pilar faucet does these things while costing only slightly more than a traditional faucet without any of the smart features.

Preventing Germ Spread and Cross Contamination

The Pilar kitchen faucet is a germophobe’s dream!  At first, a touch-activated fixture may make you think of it harboring more germs, not less.  This could not be further from the truth, as the Pilar faucet may help to reduce germ spread and cross-contamination from dangerous bacteria in the kitchen if used as described below. 

Our observation about its germ prevention feature was echoed by Kurt Backland, Delta’s kitchen product manager, when he said, "This makes kitchen tasks easier during food preparation and clean up and helps prevent the spread of bacteria.” 

Why is this feature important?  Here are the common kitchen bacteria you’ve probably heard of:  E.coli, salmonella, campylobacter jejuni, clostridium perfringens (aka cafeteria germs), staphylococcus aureus (aka staph or MRSA), and listeria monocytogenes.   There are also many other kitchen bacteria whose names you may not recognize.  Kitchen bacteria are a common cause of foodborne illness that can result in food poisoning and even death in babies, pregnant women, seniors, and people with sensitive immune systems.  Of course, then, it makes sense to cut down on bacteria spread in every way available to us!  

Since food handling and preparation often involve the use of the kitchen faucet, food-to-hand bacteria (from raw eggs, meat, or even kitchen surfaces) can be transferred easily to the faucet handle when turning it on to wash your hands.  The next person to turn on the sink will be the recipient of the invisible but dangerous germs.

Use that may help reduce germ and bacteria spread: 

As you can see in the photo at left, the Pilar kitchen faucet can be turned on with the back of your hand, wrist, or forearm – not just your fingers. 

After handling potentially contaminated food, simply tap the faucet anywhere with a clean part of your arm to turn on the flow of water and wash hands with antibacterial soap.  Tap the Pilar faucet again with any clean, dry part of your arm to turn the water off. 

Features of the Pilar Kitchen Faucet

Click to see a video demonstration of the Pilar kitchen faucet’s features.

• Touch activated – The Pilar faucet knows the difference between a touch and a grasp, so you can move the faucet without turning the water on.
• Temperature memory – Set it to the perfect temperature for your need, then every time you touch the faucet to turn on, the water temperature will be exactly the same until you change it.
• Energy and money saving – The touch activation makes it easy to tap the faucet and turn the water off when not in use, say between rinsing dishes.  This will help to save on water usage and cut down water bills for wasted water.
• Convenient sprayer built in – The faucet head drops down to double as your sprayer. The sprayer head magnetically attaches so that it doesn’t come loose from the faucet when you don’t want to use it.
• Easy installation – Click to watch the step by step Pilar faucet installation videos or download the Pilar faucet installation guide.

Smart Technology in the Pilar Kitchen Faucet

Want to know more of the details about the smart technologies built into Delta’s Pilar pull-down kitchen faucet?  Click any of the links below to discover its smart features:

• DIAMONDSEAL technology
• Magnatite docking
• Touch2O technology
• PEX tubing to prevent under-sink water leaks

Where to Buy The Pilar Touch Activated Faucet

Now that you can’t wait to have a new Pilar faucet in your kitchen, it’s time to talk price!  The Pilar Touch Activated Kitchen Faucet with Touch 2O technology by Delta retails for anywhere between $320 on sale to $580 list price, which is incredibly reasonable for a smart home fixture. 

You’ll be able to find the faucet locally at your home improvement retailers (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) or order online at Amazon with the links below:  

Faucet alone, $328 + free shipping:  Click to look at or buy the Delta Pilar Touch 2O Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet in stainless steel. Model #980T-SS-DST

Faucet with soap dispenser, $348 + free shipping:  Click to look at or buy the Delta Pilar Touch 2O Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet with soap dispenser in stainless steel.  Model #980T-SSSD-DST

Don’t miss the continuation next month for my personal review and comparison videos featuring the Pilar touch activated kitchen faucet.

–

Danelle Ice is a married mom of three who is the founder and editor of Home Ever After.  She’s also a Purex Insider, mommy blogger for Oscar Mayer, and Walmart More Than 11 Moms.  Also check out Danelle on twitter at @HomeEverAfter.

Disclaimer:  In compliance with the FTC Guides, updated 10/5/09, this article has material connections.  IS World Media (ISWM) received no fees for the writing or publication.  This article is a product review conducted by Danelle Ice and is her honest opinion.  A Pilar touch faucet is being provided to ISWM at no cost by Delta to facilitate the review process.  We cannot make claims as to the typical results users should expect from this product, as we are trying it for the first time and have no way of knowing other users’ experiences.  ISWM does not endorse the company mentioned above.

Pilar faucet images were used with permission by Delta.

Christmas Smart Home Dream: Pilar Touch Activated Kitchen Faucet by Delta is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

We recently found an old farm style kitchen table in pieces at a local consignment shop.  It had a dark brown faded finish and a lot of scratches. It was easy to see its potential as a great kitchen table with a little imagination.   All it would need is some sanding, stain, paint, and reassembly.  This frugal project cost only a fraction of the same table at retail price. 

All in all, we paid $40 for the table and about $30 for the paint and staining supplies.  The identical farm table at a local retail store was $200!  Plus, now we have enough leftover paint and stain to refinish matching kitchen chairs should we find them at a consignment or thrift store.

Thanks go to Purdy Paintbrushes for providing the paint brush we used for the staining process.  My husband, Michael, performed the staining and used two different paint brushes for separate coats to gauge if the quality of the Purdy brush was better.  Purdy brushes are generally used by contractors but aren’t as well known by home DIY enthusiasts who do painting home improvement projects.

Michael noticed that when applying the coat of stain with the Purdy brush, the stain went on easily and the brush didn’t lose any bristles.  However, when using the store brand of paintbrush, he noticed that it lost a lot of bristles during stain application.  The result was that we ended up picking bristles out of the table’s surface – not something you want to do during your table refinishing project.

We decided to go with a burgundy paint for the legs, sides and drawer, and a warm brown stain for the table top.  The finished project is a beauty!

Farm Table Before and After Photos

This photo was taken after the sanding was started.  Here is the before photo of the kitchen farm table:

Here are the after photos of the kitchen farm table:

We’re excited to move our new-to-us farm style kitchen table into our new house and fashion some matching chairs!  It just goes to show that frugal can be fantastic, as long as you use a little imagination and learn the basic skills to make your DIYs easy as pie. 

Get more Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.  For more before and after projects, visit Making a Happy Home Monday,  Metamorphosis Monday and Tackle it Tuesday.  

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Disclaimer:  In compliance with the FTC Guides, updated 10/5/09, this article has material connections.  IS World Media (ISWM) received no fees for the writing or publication.  The product review of Purdy Paintbrushes was conducted by Michael Simmons and is his honest opinion.  The paint brush was provided to ISWM at no cost by the Sherwin Williams Company to facilitate the review process.  We cannot make claims as to the typical results users should expect from this product, as we are trying it for the first time and have no way of knowing other users’ experiences.

Frugal Table Refinishing DIY – Before and After Pictures is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Punch!. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you’re a big fan of home decorating and interior design, you probably know who interior designer Kristan Cunningham is (from HGTV and the Rachael Ray Show).  Her latest project is something that will help you even more with your home DIY decorating and redesign projects.  It’s a new home design software from Punch! called Weekend Project.

If you’ve ever played The Sims, the images in the video below might look similar to you.  When playing that computer game, it’s fun to get wrapped up in decorating and redecorating your Sim’s house, and you might even wish it was that easy to do your own home upgrades with the click of a button!  Check out the video below to see how the Weekend Project program works and see some before and after home makeovers:

The Weekend Project software won’t do the home DIY work for you, but it will let you see the project possibilities so that you can see the options before you spend money buying the project supplies and materials.

Throughout the software you get design tips from Kristan as well, helping with the many decorating dos and don’ts you may have questions about.

My favorite feature in the program is the brand name product library.  The wide selection of faux finishes, paints, flooring, blinds, and other materials mean that once you design it and see that you like it, you can go to your local store and buy the exact product in the color you just visualized.

I’d love to try out this software on the new house my husband and I are buying.  The master bedroom and nursery are side-by-side, but separated by a wall.  We talked about the possibility of putting a door in between the rooms to connect them, but it would be much nicer to put the rooms into the Weekend Project first to see how the end result would look before taking any action.

I haven’t tried this software out yet, but it looks like the wide variety of features would be well worth the small sticker price ($39.99).  You can get more info or buy Weekend Project on the Punch website here.  If you try it out, let us know what you think about it in the comments below.

Disclaimer:  In compliance with the FTC Guides, updated 10/5/09, this article has material connections.  IS World Media (ISWM) received a fee for the writing and publication.

Redesign Your House Virtually With Weekend Project Software is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

It’s time for harvest eye candy, which means gorgeous photos of Autumn gardens and fall foliage!  This week’s dream garden in Herefordshire is a woodland walk right out of a storybook.  Notice the sign on the fence which reads, “Autumn Garden”.

Photo of Autumn scene by apdk.

Dream Garden of the Week

View other breathtaking Dream Gardens. Get more Wordless Wednesday at WordlessWednesday.com and 5 Minutes 4 Mom.

Autumn Harvest Dream Garden: Herefordshire Woodland is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

It’s time for harvest eye candy, which means gorgeous photos of Autumn gardens and fall foliage!  This week’s dream garden is a true picture of an October Autumn day, complete with orange leaves on the trees.

Photo of the house at Forest Hills Gardens by Joe Shlabotnik.

Dream Garden of the Week

View other breathtaking Dream Gardens. Get more Wordless Wednesday at WordlessWednesday.com and 5 Minutes 4 Mom.

Autumn Harvest Dream Garden: Forest Hills is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.