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Planning a party is not for the faint of heart. Maybe you’ve always been one who gets invited to dinner parties but never had an opportunity or reason to throw one of your own… until now. With the holiday season being here, people are starting to get their homes ready for various dinner parties, and it looks like you’re next up to host your very first dinner party!

Hosting dinner parties can be pretty exhausting and intimidating, if you let it. Everything from the food to the appearance of your home, those are some of the biggest concerns for most people but luckily both can be easy as pie if done correctly, especially preparing your home.

Food prep is something that can be done in advance, depending on what you’re serving. For example, there are certain dishes that you can make ahead of time and freeze it. The day of or the day before your party, you simply pull it out to thaw and warm it up in time for dinner. The food you serve will indeed say a lot about you to your guests.

But the thing that will leave an even bigger impression on your guests, whether friends or family, is the appearance of your home. A lot of times, people who host parties will have the food catered and focus more on the appearance of their home… The food would be one less thing to worry about… the appearance of your home is what people will be talking about most.

According to housebeautiful.com, it takes just 38 seconds for guests to your home to judge your home. Some of the major areas they judge include the following:

● If your floors have been vacuumed

● The smell of your home

● If they can see dust

● The condition of your furniture (style, appearance, and comfort)

● The temperature of your home

Judgment isn’t something you look forward to in hosting a dinner party in your home… You would think that people would be thankful enough for being invited, but to be invited and then have the nerve to judge the host’s home… That says a lot about your guests too. But that’s what comes with hosting a dinner party or any gathering, so to avoid any negative talk about your home, don’t give them anything to talk about.

In hosting your very first dinner party, don’t worry yourself about what people will say about your home, because they’re going to talk about it anyway, but by following these tips, they’ll have nothing but good things to say about it.

Ways to Get Your Home Ready to Host a Dinner Party

First and Foremost, Declutter

Party planning doesn’t have to be expensive, and part of getting your home ready for your dinner party is decluttering, and it doesn’t cost you a dime. Over time, we tend to let stuff pile up or not put things back where they belong after using them, and when we do that, it contributes to clutter in the home.

Before you can even begin to start cleaning or pull out your decorations, you first need to declutter your home. Your kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and living room are going to be the common areas where your guests will be so you want to start decluttering in those areas first.

Everything from junk mail and dirty dishes left out to items being in the wrong place and unnecessary knick-knacks, you either need to throw those things away or put them where they belong. You can start this process the week of the party and go room by room attacking clutter. That way, when it’s time to clean, you can do just that without having to determine what to keep or where things should go.

Hire House Cleaning Services

If you’re nervous about your guest coming and having negative things to say about your home, the only way to “shut them up,” so to say, is to hire professional house cleaning services. Now, the thing about hiring house cleaning services is that you need to declutter your home first because cleaners can come into your home and clean it but will it really look clean if you have junk lying around? Probably not.

You do your part in decluttering and then have cleaning services come in. Depending on what time your dinner party will be, you can have them come the morning of or the day before to help you prepare. If your home is needing a good scrubbing, check out Tidytn.com for availability.

Make Your Home Smell Good

Making your home smell good is something that can be done the day of the party as well. Candles, potpourri, and wall plug-ins are great hacks to make your home smell nice. The aroma from the food alone will make your home smell wonderful, but a trick to making your home smell good with candles or plug-ins is to not go with scents that are in opposition to the scents of your food.

Instead of going with a fresh linen scented candle, opt for an apple or pumpkin pie scented candle, or a fruit-scented candle.

Keep Your Decorations Consistent With the Theme

Nothing is tackier at a dinner party than decorations that are inconsistent. Your decor can be themed in many different ways but just make sure they coordinate. Maybe your dinner party is themed by color. If you choose black and white as a theme, stick to that. Trying to throw in other colors and decorative pieces that don’t match will definitely give your guests something negative to say about your dinner party.

November is National Caregivers Month, and we’re here to talk about how we can better show our appreciation to those whose life is dedicated to the support of others. You’d be surprised how many individuals have recently stepped into a caregiving role for a loved one as a result of new virtual schooling requirements or multigenerational housing accommodations. Research shows that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the caregiving crisis significantly, reporting a 55 percent increase in self-identified caregivers over the previous year.

The Role of a Caregiver The daily responsibilities of long-term caregivers can vary and are often tailored to meet the specific needs of each individual. On average, a caregiver might handle anything from grooming to scheduling appointments, plant care, medication management, laundry or food preparation. This type of work requires a foundation in empathy, kindness and patience because not every day is easy. If you know a caregiver who has helped you or a loved one, consider taking any of our suggestions below on how to show your gratitude:

1. Provide Time Off

The role of a caregiver often goes beyond the traditional 9 AM – 5 PM work schedule. These individuals provide consistent support that can be requested most hours of the day. As such, it can be hard to step away and take a break. If you’re able, coordinate a day off for your caregiver. Ask a family member or friend to step in to make sure regular responsibilities can be taken care of during this time period. Small gestures like these can help prevent burnout and improve a caregiver’s ability to address their own physical and mental health needs.

2. Create Connections

A support network is one of the best ways caregivers can address their individual concerns or get help when their role presents new challenges. All caregivers should regularly maintain connections with friends, family and industry professionals to avoid feelings of isolations or helplessness. The relationships we cultivate, whether in-person or digitally, can have a profound impact on our attitude and outlook. Find ways to connect your caregiver to other like minded individuals and help them build their long-term support system.

3. Send a Gift

If you’re looking for something to wrap up in a bag or bow, always think about the individual first. What does this specific caregiver like? What are their hobbies? What have they expressed

interest in? With the answers to those questions in mind, purchase a gift that they’ll enjoy and appreciate, whether it’s a gift card to the spa or a dinner for two.

If you’d like to create a more personalized gift, consider involving those they care for to create a fun craft to share. From paper flowers to clay figurines and custom cards, a gift with a personal touch can brighten anyone’s day. Arts and crafts are also a great way to engage those living with dementia or Alzheimer’s, keeping the mind active and promoting the use of fine motor skills.

4. Say “Thanks”

While it might seem simple, one of the best ways you can express gratitude to caregivers is by saying what you’re thinking out loud! Too often, we keep our, “thanks” silent and assume the other person knows that we appreciate their work. Simple reminders to your caregiver that they’re doing a great job and you are thankful for their support can make all the difference.

Caregiving is a fulfilling job, but one that can sometimes feel overwhelming or isolating. We challenge everyone to set a goal to recognize and appreciate these individuals year-round, and continue to share your support for those who are dedicated to providing care for others.

Halloween is just around the corner and that means that we DIYers have some very busy times ahead. Halloween decorations for the fam should promptly be followed by Thanksgiving decorations. Quickly trailing behind for many families are the Christmas, Channukah, or seasonal decorations! And, beyond all the decorating and redecorating, many of this site’s readers will experience the dreaded annual tradition of undergoing wintry weather when we essentially hibernate for 3-5 months and never go outdoors. In other words, it’s a heck of an important time to be focusing on improving your house in one way or another.

One difficulty that many of my readers face, though, is that they run out of space in their garages to store decorations, tools, furniture, etc as they perform ongoing DIY renovations. Many homes in the US don’t have basements at all, or they run out of room quickly in their attics and garages to store important things. If you’re going through this, don’t worry! There is an answer for you – it’s called “climate controlled self storage” and it’s available in a town near you wherever you are.

Self-Storage facilities are basically like renting out extra garage space for yourself. They tend to be low commitment, month-to-month rentals, and they provide a lot of flexibility for your different storage needs over the course of the year. That being said, some care & effort is needed as you consider the right facility to be renting space from.

Choosing Location: As mentioned, storage facilities can be found across most towns in the US. Even if you live in a low-density region out in farm country, some facilities will almost definitely exist within a short drive of you. If you’re anywhere close to a large city, we’re probably talking about 10 minutes driving distance from you at any given place in the city. So make sure you google around and find a place that’s convenient for you and close to home.

Storage Unit Size: What are you storing? Lots of big wooden furniture and antiques? Maybe get a large 20’x10’ unit. Or is just a bunch of seasonal decorations? If so, maybe try not to overspend and get a smaller 10’x5’.

Climate Control is Critically Important! Mold is not your friend. You don’t want to breathe it in in your own home. And you don’t want it impacting your valuables that you’re storing in a facility that doesn’t control for both temperature and humidity swings. Bad things like Mold and rust happen when the localized indoor air goes through big swings in temperature which in turn causes changes to relative humidity. This is the process the creates condensation, which creates moisture which, in turn, creates rust and mold. If you are storing anything that’s valuable and important and is composed of wood, electronics, certain kinds of metal, porcelain, you really need to be careful about making sure your storage units is climate controlled. Also note that this is particularly important in certain parts of the country that experience big seasonal swings in climate. For example, storage units in Waterville Maine will need climate control more than units in temperate Virginia.

o Also, keep in mind that Climate Control may end up being slightly more expensive. Facility owners have to spend a lot more money to provide electricity to the sites in order to provide this critically important service. Is it worth it? If you care about your possessions because they’re expensive or they have strong sentimental value, then yes we think it’s worth it!

Security: Self Storage facilities are certainly not all created equal. You need to be sure that your possessions are well protected! Always demand a certain level of quality in the security of your storage facility. You need to have 24/7 Video Surveillance, a gate with keypad coded entry, strong facility lighting, and some on-site management.

Closing Thoughts: Enjoy this fun and exciting time of year with your family and nestled inside your homes. When it gets cold out, this is the perfect time to dress up your home for company and to keep making it better. If and when you run out of space to do this, take a minute to google around for local self storage facilities. But make sure to search for reliable places with strong security, climate control, and a convenient location.

We Want to Hear Your Story! If any of you reading have experience with self-storage, we’d love to hear your story! Please send us your comments below!

While the Coronavirus has proven a difficult adversary that has kept many of us working from home during these past few months, it also gives us the opportunity to think about some of the maintenance and upgrades that have been sliding at home recently. Even though lockdown restrictions may be weighing on your mind, there are some things you can do around the house to take back some semblance of control and improve the energy in your home at the same time.

Retile the bathrooms or kitchen.

Retile jobs are inevitability just as important as the upkeep of your roof. Eventually, you will have to replace these floorings and there’s no better time than while you are spending an increased amount of time at home. This way you can enjoy the upgrade even more. Replacing old tiles and eroded grout with new, larger tiles can make rooms feel bigger and more homely without any additional upgrades or renovation projects designed to change the layout of the space. Using larger tiles also cuts down on the installation time and makes for a seamless design.

Alternatively, you might decide to opt for hardwood flooring. This is a great option in the kitchen or common areas of the home and adds a whole new vibe to the feeling of the house. Laminates or solid hardwoods both last years and require little upkeep apart from a simple cleaning regimen, and they look fantastic!

Repair aging appliances.

Looking for an Oregon appliance repair company to refurbish your older appliances is a great way to breathe new life into the things you use every day, without having to fork out a heap of cash to buy new ones. Fixing the refrigerator, water heater, dishwasher, ice maker, or dryer are all great ways to bring in the feel of freshness into your daily routine at an affordable price. While these appliances will eventually give out, repairing them instead of simply trashing them for new ones when they first begin to experience difficulties can extend the lifetime for years to come. Hooking these staples of modern living up with pressure sealing washer gaskets instead of the standard washers is a simple and incredibly cost-effective way to ensure that they keep humming at full efficiency for years to come. This is especially important in preventing additional water or dust damage clogging up the system along the way.

Clean up your landscaping.

Installing a new garden is another great way to improve your home during this time away from your usual schedule. Gardening is a fantastic way to relieve stress, and laying new sod, planting flowering bushes, or mulching your beds can improve the look and feel of your entire home with just a few hours’ work. Working on your yard is a fulfilling part of homeownership and makes for great family time as well. Put your kids to work by getting them to upgrade or replace piping in your sprinkler system or have them rake up the fallen leaves from your trees during the fall. This can make for some great bonding time that simply can’t be had indoors.

Another home maintenance opportunity is to spruce up your patio area. Ordering new furniture or building a gazebo yourself are both great ways to increase the hospitality factor of your home and make for a fun and relaxing place to spend your afternoons and evenings with your family.

Now is the time to dive into some new and exciting home maintenance projects. While your family spends more time at home, make the effort to make the space more inviting and homely so that you can all enjoy it that much more.