Just~One~Donna

Let's start 2018 with some ideas for being more efficient in the kitchen.  I don't know about you, but I am always grateful for any suggestions that will save me time, money, or both in my kitchen. Twenty Five Kitchen Hacks to Save You Time and Money I've been gathering these kitchen tips over the years and use them all in my own kitchen.  How many do you use, too?

Have you noticed how it is getting dark earlier at night these days?  The thing I like least about fall and winter is how early the sun goes down.   Today I'm sharing a simple, pretty solution to the dark hours ahead of us.  Read on for a DIY fall decoration that will light up your life. A Lighted Fall Pine Cone Basket  This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  The compensation I receive when you shop with these links helps to support the costs of publishing this blog. A Lighted Basket of Pine Cones There are two solutions I gravitate to to solve my dislike of the dark nights of fall and winter. Sure, you can turn on the lights, but I prefer little pockets of light to brighten the dark corners of my rooms. For that, I'll use either flameless candles or strings of mini LED lights. Flameless candles with automatic timers are my first love.  You'll find them all over my house.  They are easily tucked into shelves ...

What is a non-toxic way to control ants in your home? Today I'm sharing an easy way to get ahead of ants invading your home. An Effective, Homemade Ant Bait Do you have to do battle with ants in your home?  Do you feel as frustrated as I do when facing this yearly ritual?  The ants are back.   Yes, I'm very unhappy to report that the annual ant battle is underway in my home.   I have ants coming out of the woodwork. Literally, ants are coming out of the woodwork!  I saw a few little ants gathering around a speck on the floor.  When there is one, there are many.  Oh no! Ant Sighting! Let the battle begin!  What concerns me most about the battle of the ants is the questionable safety of the arsenal of weapons we have at our disposal.  I've used ant sprays, ant traps, and exterminators.  None of them have been particularly successful.  I am also uncomfortable with frequent applications of insecticides and any...

I decided a little over a month ago that it was time to refresh my three season porch.  You know what I mean.  All of a sudden the porch went from a place where I liked to spend my time to a place I never wanted to be.  It was time to fix that. My Porch Before All of the paint in the room needed to be refreshed.  I wanted to brighten the trim around the windows by painting it with Benjamin Moore's Atrium White (PM-13).  The previously white walls needed a little color.  I chose a light butter cream color called Palm Coast Pale (330) by Benjamin Moore.  I thought the sloped ceiling might benefit from a little color as well.  I chose Benjamin Moore's Spring Mint (2040-70). The Color Palette There was some water damage on the ceiling that had to be fixed.  I turned to YouTube for some how-to advice. Water Damage on the Ceiling I was careful and didn't rush the repair.  We also decided to add some trim work that helped...

Spring has sprung and when that happens I always start looking around my home for projects to freshen up the place.  Do you do the same?  Trouble is that I don't have much patience for disruption in my home.  The thought of a major remodeling project sends shivers up and down my spine.  As a result, I'm always looking for ways to refresh with as little disruption as possible. Our master bathroom is in need of work.  Truth be told, we should gut the room and start over.  I just can't bear the thought of it.  So, instead, Hubby and I decided to freshen up.  Here are a couple of pictures to show you what it looked like in the before state. The Master Bath Vanity This master bathroom is a small room and as you can see there is only one sink.  I bet you can tell which of us has claimed this vanity as her own.  There are many things I really like about this vanity.  I like that there as six drawers in total, flanking the cent...

I posted about my powder room remodel project a couple of weeks ago and since then have been asked about the specifics of the products used.  Today's post will share the details of all the products we used to go from... The Old Powder Room to... The New Powder Room The Paint The paint is Behr brand from Home Depot.  The yellow color is Provence Creme , eggshell finish.  The white is Brilliant White, semi-gloss. The Tile 6 x 6 Marazzi Montagna Lugano tile from Home Depot.  It came in multiple versions.  We alternated plain tiles with fancy, decorative tiles. The Fixtures The toilet and pedestal sink were from the Kohler Memoirs line .  The faucet is Kohler Devonshire . The Mirror The mirror is the Carrabelle 23 inch wide mirror in Glacier White from Home Depot. The Wall Mounted Cabinet The cabinet over the toilet is the Fieldcrest wall cabinet from Target. The Wall Mounted Magazine Rack The magazine rack is also a toilet paper ...

My family has lived in our current house for more than twenty years.  We were not the first owners of this house, so over the years we have completed many projects to make this house our home.  Recently Hubby and I decided to tackle our first-floor powder room for a complete makeover.  My Old Powder Room How hard can it be, we asked?  After all, it is a teeny tiny room.  We were confident we could replace the existing fixtures, tile the floor and repaint the walls and ceiling in a couple of weekends.  So confident were we that this would be a two-weekend task we started the work a couple of weekends before Christmas knowing full well we would be hosting more than twenty people for Christmas festivities.  I know, it was a crazy thing to do. The most complicated elements of the plan for us were retiling the floor and adding a raised panel wainscoting to the walls.  Hubby was taking the lead on the tiling and I was in charge of the wainscot...

I'm in overdrive these days, working to make our vacation getaway feel like a home away from home in just a few, short weeks.   With a number of pricey changes underway in this new-to-us home, prioritizing expenditures is important.  So, instead of replacing the existing gold toned bathroom light fixtures, I decided to try to make them tolerable for a period of time. A Budget Friendly Way to Update Light Fixtures Using Metallic Paint Dated Light Fixtures I remembered the transformation a metallic glaze made to some old, brass urns I had purchased years ago,  Perhaps the same paint would transform the light fixture for me?  Well, it was worth a try.  The existing light fixtures were a ghastly brassy-gold color that needed to be toned down a bit. The light fixture makeover was an easy, four step process: Step One :  Remove the fixtures from the wall. Step Two:  Clean the Fixtures. Step Three:  Apply the metallic paint and ...

Last week I told you about a brand new toy, my orbital sander, and that I intended to put it to good use refinishing the stairs in my house .  Well, today I am happy to report that the project is well underway.  When last we left this saga I had completed three hours of prep work on three of the twelve stairs needing refinishing.  I chose the flight of three stairs above the landing as my starting point thinking the landing was an appropriate separation point for the work.  I'm expecting this project to take a few (maybe several) weeks to complete.  It makes sense to divide the work into multiple parts. Those three stairs got another hour and a half of sanding and then some dings and holes in the treads were filled with wood filler. Not being certain about whether my prep work was sufficient, I decided to go ahead and stain just one stair as a test.  That way I could assess how the stain would take to the wood, whether the stain color wo...

Has hell frozen over?  Have pigs started flying?  I ask because last week I made a purchase that must have happened as a result of one of those two things.  Those of you who know me will agree, I'm sure, when I tell what that purchase was. My Very Own Power Tool Yes, friends, I purchased a power tool of my very own.  It's my first...and only...power tool, or any kind of tool, for that matter.  Yes, we have tools at my house.  They are Hubby's tools.  I don't touch them as a rule.  Well, occasionally I touch them.  I have been known to screw in a loose screw, or hammer a nail that is sticking out where it shouldn't be.  Power tools have been left to Hubby's domain...Well, except for the electric hedge trimmer.  I kind of like that one. Let's get back to MY power tool.  It's a variable speed orbital sander.  Cool, huh?  I bet you are wondering what I am going to do with it, right?  Well, I have gotten a bee...