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Bed Makeovers: Add Headboards, New Bedding & Bold Accents

Cathy Ratcliffe on May 22, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Bed makeovers don’t have to be a headache. In fact, a bedroom makeover can be a fun project that makes you proud of your creative accomplishments in the end. Simple touches can completely transform your bedroom into a beautiful oasis or modern hideaway. To pull off the perfect look, below are some simple guidelines:

Bedding

There’s collections of bedding from Macys that range in price and style, so you’re likely to find a duvet or comforter specifically for your taste, even as you shop for mattresses. For a tranquil, peaceful vibe, look for bedding in creams or a neutral color palette. Simple paper light fixtures also give the room a light and airy feel. To complete a bold look, go for a bright comforter to complement the accent colors in the room. Dress up the rest of the bed with matching pillows. For romantic ambience, opt for floral patterns and light pillow accents with soft hues that match the bedding of course.

Headboard

As the focal point of your bed, the headboard can be as simple or gaudy as you want it. Take advantage of DIY projects floating around Pinterest. Pins are taken from a variety of blog posts and websites that showcase headboards crafted with pallets, plywood or fabrics. Read on to be inspired:

Can you believe you can make a stylish headboard from doors? Place two doors side-by-side painted in your favorite color scheme. Top with crown molding to make your bed look clean and simple. You can find inexpensive doors at hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot.
To install a wooden headboard, visit a lumber yard; it can actually be fairly cheap. Design the shape of the headboard and then easily distress the wood with vinegar, tea bags and steel wool pads. The finished project looks absolutely stunning and has a beachy vibe. You can also place pieces of barn wood side-by-side of varying sizes. Even simpler, hang four 1 x 6 boards on the wall with large 3M strips, which can hold up to 16 pounds each.
Fabric, plywood, batting and two-inch foam is all you need to build an elegant headboard. Just cut the plywood into the proper shape and size, and then use spray adhesive to glue foam on top of the plywood. Staple the batting on top of the foam, and then staple the fabric to the board—voila! You’ve crafted a beautiful and inexpensive headboard that looks like a professional masterpiece.

Bed Bench

Show some love to the foot of your bed, too. If you have an extra bench lying around that you have no use for, then this project is perfect for you. (Generally, you can find benches at thrift or second-hand stores as well for $20 and less). Converting a seating bench into a bed bench is not too complex. Use two-inch thick foam, which you can find at all craft stores, and measure it to fit the top of your bench. Place the foam on top of some batting and staple in place. Next, pull fabric of your choice around the batting and foam and use a staple gun to attach the fabric around the bench tightly. Then use a drill to secure the cushioned seat to the bench. If you want a more sophisticated look to match an upscale design theme and decor, place buttons about every five inches or so.

Accents

Bold patterns, large decorative pillows and fresh flowers can decoratively take your room to that next level. Installing wall-mounted lamps will not only give your room a 5-star feel, but it will create space on your nightstands for books, flowers or picture frames. Also, make over your wall space by placing a graphic quilt or wallpaper on one wall as an accent. In a small room, hang a mirror above the bed to make the room appear larger.

Easy End-of-the-Year Teacher Gift Ideas for Busy Moms

Cathy Ratcliffe on May 8, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Compared to other countries, U.S. teachers rank 10th in pay, falling below such places as South Korea, England and Singapore, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Yet, they’re so generous of heart. CNN Money reports that 97 percent of teachers in America purchase classroom supplies out of their own pockets. Information like this may inspire you to rethink the annual end-of-year gift to your child’s teacher. Sure, they appreciate any acknowledgment, but don’t they deserve something truly thoughtful?

Classroom Supplies

In an article for Teaching Community, educator Tom DeRosa lists classroom supplies as the No. 1 gift teachers would love to receive. Anything from a box of pencils to a package of Sharpie pens would be a great show of appreciation. Avoid expensive items like nice pen and pencil sets. Teachers are notorious for loaning items to kids and never getting them back. Consider the grade and age of children the teacher works with and purchase basic supplies accordingly. Keep in mind that your teacher may be registered at Donorschoose.org which will make gift giving even easier.

Something to Eat

Teachers are busy and rarely have time to break for lunch. Help them stay nourished with fruit baskets, an assortment of protein bars, a batch of homemade cookies or a gift certificate to the sandwich shop next to campus.

A Gift From the Group

Collecting money for a group gift does take a little organization, but giving your child’s teacher one fabulous item instead of several small ones is worth the extra effort for a special teacher. Speak to someone who knows the teacher and ask what they might enjoy such as a day at the spa, an eReader or another special item that’s too much of a splurge for any one parent.

A Gift Card

If you’re absolutely stumped and the school policy allows it, purchase a gift card. A gift card can be seen as a little impersonal, but unless you’re good friends with the teacher, an impersonal gift is actually pretty appropriate. Think of your kid’s teacher and purchase a card that might be most useful to them, such a gift card to the bookstore, the gas station, the school supply store or one to a place like Amazon.com where the teacher can purchase almost anything.

Movie Tickets

Who doesn’t look forward to seeing a few summer blockbusters? A booklet of movie tickets will ensure your favorite teacher has some traditional summer fun without spending much money. Many theaters sell “bucks” that can be used for movie admission as well as at the concession stand. Just make sure you choose a theater that’s close to the teacher’s home for extra convenience.

Your Time

It may sound cliché, but your time really is the most precious gift. If you can’t volunteer in the classroom give the teacher a homemade “gift certificate” for an hour of yard work, pet setting or baby sitting over the summer.

Of course you’re busy too, and to make sure you don’t waste any of your own limited time organizing a group gift or shopping for something check with your child’s school about their policy for gift giving. Some schools don’t allow teachers to accept cash or gift cards. The worst mistake you can make is to rush out and purchase a “No. 1 Teacher” mug or some other kitschy item because you feel obligated to get a gift. Your child’s teacher already has all the trinkets they can use.

What Your Child Can Learn From a Community Service Trip

Cathy Ratcliffe on May 2, 2013 · Leave a Comment

When it comes to modern children, parents often have a litany of complaints. Many parents worry children today spend too much time on video games, aren’t as polite and don’t have the same work ethic compared with earlier generations. The question isn’t what’s wrong with today’s youth, however—what you should be asking instead is how you can help today’s youth grow and learn. One way is through community service.

Stretch their Horizons
Community service can take place in other countries or in your own backyard. Churches have missionaries and send people to third world countries to help build structures, install wells or provide other services. However, you can also find opportunities right around the corner. Visit a nearby soup kitchen to volunteer your help, or volunteer to work at a non-profit thrift store sorting and organizing donations. Kids like going to new places and experiencing new things. It gives them a fresh perspective on their own lives, and it can show them that there’s more to the world than their television and video games.

Responsibility Through Service
A key part of the community service is getting the kids involved and engaged. It’s not enough to go to a soup kitchen and watch you work; they should also help serve. Trust them to help sort items, pick up trash, build something or improve someone else’s life in some way. Kids and teens can learn responsibility through their actions, and their service to others will teach them that not only should we can help others, but that even one person can make a small difference. This is a great way to help kids and teens feel empowered, and may even inspire them to take leadership roles at school or in their own community at home.

A New Sense of Gratitude
Do you often tell your child that she doesn’t know how good she has it? Do you tell your son that “children all over the world are starving” to get him to eat his vegetables? Kids cannot appreciate how good they have it when they have never seen someone who is truly in need. When they are at the soup kitchen and see someone with tattered shoes, they will start to make a connection. When they travel to other areas and realize that people don’t have clean water, they will start to appreciate the basic fundamentals that they for granted at home. A new appreciation for their own life starts to form, which may help with a child or teen who has an especially materialistic attitude.

Personal Growth Away from Home
If you have the opportunity to send your child on a community service trip to another city, state or even country, it can be an incredible experience. While the protective side of you will want to travel along with your child, there are also benefits to your child going without you. The personal growth that comes with being more responsible is incredible. They will still be chaperoned and protected by the other adults in attendance, but they will also feel that they are more trustworthy and responsible when you trust them to travel without you. It’s hard to let go of them for that short period, but sometimes your child can stretch her wings further if she has a little distance from her parents.

There are many benefits to community service, and your child will return home with a new appreciation for life and the value of service. Start teaching younger children by doing service around your town and community—this can include picking up trash, painting, or donating items. Teach them that being part of a community means helping each other out when you can.

Byline: Cynthia Anderson has two kids who are ARCC trip leaders, leading community service trips every year for youth across the United States.

Photo by Lee Wag

The Ripe & Wrong Way: How to Harvest Fruits & Vegetables

Cathy Ratcliffe on April 18, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Planting, growing and harvesting fruits and vegetables is a yearlong process. If you’re an avid gardener like me, there’s always a fruit or vegetable ready to harvest no matter the season. There are ways to successfully pick your fruits and veggies for your home garden; be equipped with a green thumb and distinctive techniques to ensure your harvest achieves its potential with maximum ripeness and flavor.

Asparagus

Asparagus spears are ready for harvest in early spring when they protrude six to eight inches from the soil. Harvest the spears that are thicker than a pencil—the tips will be firm and unopened. Cut the spears off at ground level or slightly below. However, if this is the first year of your asparagus plant, WeekendGardener.net recommends waiting until the third season so healthy root systems are established. The third year should bring about a harvest time spanning three or four weeks.

Cherries

Cherries are generally picked in late spring and summer. Tall cherry trees present a challenge to growers that ladders can’t remedy. According to OrganicGardening.com, sweet cherries can grow into trees that are 35 feet or taller. Having two free hands is essential when safely picking cherries and any other fruit from trees. Renting an aerial platform simplifies the picking process and leaves room to store pounds of fruit in baskets. The most powerful SunBelt Rentals scissor lift, for example, can extend up to 40 feet and accommodate 1,000 pounds. Harvest the cherries during dry weather by handling the cherry stem as you pluck them, advises Garden Fresco.

Pears

Biting into the perfect pear requires familiarity with how a pear ripens. Pears ripen best off a tree. The fruit should be picked in autumn when slightly immature; otherwise, the pear will develop a mealy texture, according to OregonState.edu. Growers can spot mature pears—meaning, ready to be picked—when the fruit easily detaches from being tilted to a horizontal position. Pears must also be refrigerated in order to properly ripen. Bartlett pears need one or two days of cooling, whereas winter pear varieties may need two to six weeks.

Carrots

Sow carrot seeds in early spring, suggests Weekend Gardener. After two to three months of growing, carrots are usually ready to harvest. Watering the soil before harvesting will ease the process of extracting the carrot roots. Pulling them from the ground is the only way to examine their size. Carrots can remain in the ground even after maturation. However, carrots should be removed before the ground freezes or when the weather becomes intensely hot.

Fava beans

Fava beans, as well as other shell beans like lima and soy, can be picked when their pod color changes and the internal beans are fully formed, though not fully dried, according to Weekend Gardener. Look for the the pea pods to be husky and tender, yet firm to the touch. Harvest them in spring before the frost sets in.

Cantaloupe

Muskmelon, or cantaloupe as it’s commonly called, should be ready to harvest by late summer. When the cantaloupe rind changes from green to tan between the surface mesh, the melon is ripe. Cantaloupe should slip off the stem with minimal effort. If you harvest cantaloupe too early, the fruit is robbed of most of its sweet flavor. The cantaloupe plant transfers much of the natural sugars in the final days of ripening.
Carolyn Thurman

Carolyn is so glad she quit her job as a waitress and became a full-time freelance writer.