Although the dining room is in no way finished – we still need dining chairs, a sideboard or buffet, new window treatments and some other finishing touches – it has definitely seen a lot of improvement over the past couple of months. Here’s a peek at how the room has come together so far…
Our apartment building in the city has been experiencing a rash of break-ins lately. While we haven’t personally experienced a burglary in our apartment, the thefts have us thinking about security. Installing a security camera used to mean hiring a company and paying a monthly fee. Thanks to advancements in technology, security cameras are now just another DIY project.
($149.99) The Dropcam offers 720p high-definition video as well as two-way talk, intelligent alerts, scheduling and mobile and web apps.
($99.95) If you’re worried that Fluffy or Fido destroying the apartment, strap one of these cameras and his collar and see what he gets into while you’re out earning the bacon.
($69.99) With two-way audio (“Hey, you, get outta my house!”) and email alerts, this camera would be perfect for keeping an eye on your home even when you’re miles and miles away.
($84.65) There’s no computer required for this camera. Simply download the app, connect to your wifi and you’re ready to go.
($499.99) For some serious surveillance, this set up offers two cameras, a built-in monitor and DVR recording.
($65.99) For the ultimate in covert surveillance, this little camera looks like any other motion detector. However, it has to be connected to a separate CCTV or DVR to view the video.— J. Blandings
Images: Amazon
Perhaps you’ve seen the Youtbue videos that demonstrate heating a room with two clay pots, a bread pan and a few tealights. And perhaps you were dubious when you watched it. Would that actually work? You might have asked yourself. That’s certainly what we asked ourselves! So one blustery day we put the zero energy heater to the test. Here are our findings from the great clay pot heater experiment…
The best thing about hosting house guests while your house is still a work in progress is the chance it gives you to clean up projects and add some finishing touches. The house is still rather sparsely furnished and it’s definitely still going through a style evolution, but it’s nice start hanging art and introduce accessories. I wanted to bring some life to the house so I went out for flowers the morning before the guests arrived. Instead of flowers, however, I opted for a few cheap house plants. The plants were not only cheaper but they’ll last longer too!
It has been many, many years since either of us have lived in a house. One of things I had forgotten about houses — especially houses in small towns — is that no one uses the front door. Whether it’s a neighbor, the UPS delivery person or me and Mr. Blandings, we always use the side entrance, which opens into this little hallway. It’s partly because it’s the first thing people see when they enter the house and partly because it’s a tiny little space that wouldn’t require a lot of work that made me decide to give it a makeover now rather than later.
