Mantle makeover and the $75 challenge!

Our brand new traditional home is covered with this light honey colored wood that screams 1990!

The rooms that got hit with this tragedy the most was the family/kitchen combo.

I decided to do what any house wife would do, I went to Home Depot with my husband and helped him pick out all the materials he would need for his new project!

We decided on white because its clean and will go nicely with the wall color we are going to choose, but more on that later.

So do you want to know how to redo your mantle? Pictures are posted at the end.

Steps:

1. Wash mantle well with a damp paper towel and let dry.

2. Lightly sand

3. Repeat step 1

3a. Tape off all areas around mantel

4. Prime and let dry and then add a second coat. And then let dry for 24 hours

5. Now paint, do two coats minimum

6. Let dry and then decorate as desired!

Here's pictures! The entertainment unit is next.

Now my $75 challenge! This whole project cost me $75 bucks but I'm willing to see how far this $75 will take me. So the mantle is finished I'm hoping I can also paint the entertainment unit, crown molding, trim, and my stairway.

I'll let you know how far I get!

Emergency preparedness- stuff they don't have on the list!

My friend Sunni just got power back on today after hurricane Sandy hit last week. She was out of power for eight days and though she was prepared I asked her about the things she wished she had and here is what she said:

Well you should get a generator since you have a house. The very first thing they sold out of was that-on the fri before the storm even hit.

The next things that sold out were extra gas cans - needed for the generator as well as to fill your cars. She also added later to make sure you have a full tank of gas and a full gas can. She used her car a lot to charge her cell phone. Which reminded me to get a car charger for my phone since I don't have one.

Next is D batteries and big flashlights-you never realize how truly dark it is until it happens.

Next would be a kerosene heater-you can burn kerosene indoors but not propane due to CO2.

Wet wipes can be used in lieu of baths - so a big big box. Wet wipes are now made with antimicrobial for hands only - perfect for kitchen and bathrooms.

And I can't say enough about water: Once the power goes-you can't count on the safety of any water but bottled after the lights go. And u need water to brush teeth, wash off apples, make milk with dry powdered milk...To rinse out pans from cooking-all need clean water.

Oh-and bed bath and beyond sells the cheapest box of battery powered candles. I would get those, much safer than the flame ones.

Once the hurricane hit it was impossible to go anywhere. So be prepared to be stuck where you are. Nothing worked except my gas, so if you have a gas stove that's great!

Basically camping supplies are really helpful. Waterproof matches incase you flood and need to start your stove for heat or to cook.

Of course this is not a complete list of what you need during an emergency, this is just the stuff I don't really see on lists. But I might have just missed it. This is my goal for the year 2013, have an emergency preparedness plan and a special place in my house for all of our emergency supplies! I hope you to are encouraged if you don't already have something.

Thanks Sunni so much for our thoughts! We are so happy you are safe!

Love,

Kiel, Mel, Bruce and rhyan!