The end of September marks the beginning of Fall. And you know what that means! Pumpkins, scarecrows, hayrides, bonfires, and pumpkin spice lattes for everyone! I’m down for everything but the last bit. (I don’t like the taste of them.) Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love it when the weather starts turning just a bit cooler and it starts to get that dry, crisp feeling. After months of oppressive heat and humidity, we all love the change in the temperature. But there is just a s

The Rustic style is something that evolved from farmers and pioneers and has become something that is very stylish and popular. So, what if you want this style for your home, but you don’t know where to start? What if you are absolutely in love with the idea of a beautiful cottage style home, but you live in a cramped little apartment in town? Don’t worry. I have you covered. I’m going to take the basics of the rustic décor and break them down so that you can find the perfect mix of styles that

When you are looking for house plans, there are many things to consider. How many bedrooms do you need? How much room do you want? Do you want a formal dining area or not? Do you want a formal living area or not? Do you want a large kitchen? All of those things need to be considered and some will need to be compromised on. One thing you absolutely cannot compromise on is the comfort that your home is going to give you. A home, especially one that you are building, should be the most comforting p

Have you ever had those days where you just didn’t want to get out of bed? Where it seems that your faithful pillow and blanket are conspiring with the cat to make your room a utopia? You know, those days when you just lay there and you are getting the perfect ratio of body coverage, pillow angles and snuggles and then the alarm goes off. Those days that make you wish you were on vacation and there wasn’t an urgent need to get up. Yeah, we’ve all had those days. I love sleeping late on the weeke

Wouldn’t you love for your home to look like a luxury mansion? Stepping into the space every day and experiencing the beauty and sophistication of a grand estate? If you’re like me, then your home is a little less Beverly Hills and a little more hillbilly. So, we are going to look at some tips and tricks to take your home to that next level. You know what? You’ve got great taste. You probably already have a lot of these elements in your home. Let’s take what we know and what we have and add some

What says “luxury" to you? Is it a beautiful bedroom or a sumptuous shower? Is it a large living room with plenty of space for that huge comfy couch? Or is it something different? I think that luxury to me would be having a bathroom large enough for the assortment of shampoos and conditioners my teenage daughter thinks she absolutely positively NEEDS. (Seriously, kid. How many do you have now?) A great house plan can take your home from a normal abode to a luxury manor. It’s not just about the

Life can be hard sometimes. Stress can wear you down and make you yearn for a retreat away from it all. I feel like everyone deserves a place that gives them comfort. Whether that be a beautiful bathroom where you can soak all your troubles away, a nice outdoor area where you can take in the simpler things in life, or even a wonderfully organized closet. (Can you tell what I did this weekend?) Getting away from all of the stress and harshness of life is the key to a luxurious home. Your home doe

Thanks to Chip and Joanna Gaines, the Farmhouse style has spread across the country and basically taken over as the predominate theme for home decorating. And unless you are fortunate enough to live in a farmhouse style home or in an older home, you are going to have to fake it until you make it. The great thing about this style of décor is that it is very easy to do this. So, what makes a home have that farmhouse look? Is it something that you can go “Take a dash of this and a smidge of that"

Farmhouses are incredibly popular right now. I think that may be due to our hectic lives. The farmhouse comes from a time where things moved just a bit more slowly. My husband and I were talking about how different shopping for gifts has become just last night. I went online and purchased a quick little thing for the youngest and he was explaining to the girls how long it used to take to get things in the mail. The speed at which business and our lives move has grown exponentially over the last

It comes as no surprise to me that the Farmhouse style is still one of the most popular styles of house plans. They have to be one of my favorite styles, personally. I find that the styles can be very simple, or they can be very complex. Really, with a Farmhouse house plan, the sky is the limit. You really can make them into anything that you need them to be. Another great thing about this style that is still sweeping the nation is that it can be incorporated everywhere. I think that the Farmhou

I love to cook. I mean, I really, really love to cook. Cooking has always been something that has allowed me to make people happy in a very rewarding way. (I hate doing dishes, but that’s why they invented dishwashers, right?) I have wonderful memories of cooking with my grandmother and mom. Cooking is one of those things that can help make a bad day better. Labor Day is Monday. Traditionally, BBQ is the way to go. It’s the last time that you really get to go swimming. It’s the last time that yo

The end of summer means the last of the barbeques, pool parties, and outdoor fun. Most swimming areas will be closing on Monday and traditionally Labor Day is the turning point in the weather. (Well, everywhere but the south where summer will hold us in its sweaty palms until closer to Halloween before finally releasing us.) So of course, we want to enjoy all of that glorious sunshine before winter comes barreling in. Great Outdoor Living Spaces We have some amazing house plans that have great

The beginning of the school year always makes me more aware that my wonderful summer days are coming to an end. Fall and winter are coming and that means that I need to enjoy the last of the summer days before they are gone. One of the things that I enjoy the most, and I got this from my grandmother, is enjoying a nice cup of coffee on a summer morning and watching the sun come up. It’s a simple thing, but it just brings me so much joy. I actually get up early every morning. My husband has to be

I guess you could say I’m a “seasoned" parent. My oldest daughter is in Junior High and I pretty much have the school shopping thing down. I was thrilled that this year she didn’t have a school supply list. I could get her what I thought she might need instead of sticking to what the teachers thought they might use this year. Over the years I have figured out that some things are good things to buy for kids for back to school no matter how old they are or what classes they are taking. Now these

While some parents are getting their kids ready to go back to school and shipping them out the door, others are getting ready for the long haul. There is a growing number of parents who are deciding to home school their children here in the U.S. And while there are many reasons for parents to choose to home school, one thing remains the same: you need to have a location set aside for them to do the work. There are house plans that lend themselves to the home school lifestyle better than others,