Looking for Ways to Celebrate Mardi Gras? Get the Scoop Here!

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Jeremy Leake

Anyone who’s anyone knows that Mardi Gras here in Louisiana is a really big deal. In order to help you get the most out of it we found the full schedule of parades. We hope it helps you have an amazing Mardi Gras!

———————
If you need Lafayette apartment associations vent cleaning services, then Dryer Vents Plus is your #1 choice! Call Jeremy Leake today at 225-612-7752 to schedule your 100% Free, No Obligation Quote!
———————

From the article:

As Louisiana counts down to Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras on February 13, 2018, communities throughout the state ready their costumes, floats and parade trinkets for several days of festivities. Get ready to party down in Baton Rouge! Don’t forget to check out the Mardi Gras events around New Orleans, too.

Here’s a list of 2018 Baton Rouge Carnival parades, dates and times. Check the individual parade organizations’ websites for updated details of each event. Come to Baton Rouge and have a ball!

Baton Rouge Mardi Gras 2018 Parade Schedule
Saturday, February 3, 6:30 pm: Krewe of Orion, Downtown

Sunday, January 28, 10:30 am: Krewe of Mutts, Downtown

Friday, February 2, 7pm: Krewe of Artemis Parade, Downtown

Saturday, February 3, 2pm: Krewe of Mystique, Downtown

Friday, February 9, 7pm: Krewe of Southdowns, Southdowns Neighborhood – Glasgow Middle School

Saturday, February 10, noon: Krewe of Spanish Town Parade, Downtown

—————–
Looking for cheap family fun ideas here at home? Checkout this article about cheap winter family fun that could be of interest to you.
—————–

Read the entire article here: http://www.louisianatravel.com/articles/mardi-gras-capital-city-come-party-baton-rouge

Looking to Renovate Your Bathroom on a Budget? Get Ideas Here!

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Jeremy Leake

Your bathroom is one of the rooms that can make or break a home. In order to help you update it on a budget we found this article. We hope it helps!

From the article:

About six and a half years ago, I moved in to my now husband, then fiance???s house. Our friends and family know that I haven???t hidden the fact that there were lots of things I was not a fan of in this home. Okay, I flat out complained about all of them, but over time have done a lot of easy swapping of furniture and area rugs as well as some painting. However, one thing has remained is the number one sore spot for me. The guest bathroom. A place I lovingly refer to as ???The Bathroom From H*ll.??? Well??? not anymore.

My biggest roadblock was picking tile. Which seemed like a crucial element in setting the tone for the room. In the past Craig and I had visited tile stores and roamed the aisles of a few different stores and I hated basically every single thing we saw. Too modern, too Tuscan, too just plain ugggly.

Until I saw this gray woodgrain tile on what I thought would be my ???I give up??? tile trip to Home Depot. It was new (so I wasn???t totally losing my mind) and the second I saw it I knew it was the one. Oh, and it was INEXPENSIVE! That never happens. At about $2.40 a square foot we used it for the floor and the inside of the shower for about $300. I asked our amazing contractor to run the tile throughout the floor and up the wall in what would seem like a seamless line with the exception of the tub. Since it???s a small bathroom I thought this would give the effect of making the room seem larger, and it did. I made the awesome decision to use this gorgeous grout color and I???m so glad I did. It???s a light gray which does not show dirt and blends in really well with the tile.

The next hurdle was a vanity. Why is it so incredibly hard to pick a vanity? Seriously, I have no idea. This is a pretty small bathroom so I couldn???t go too crazy, but (after like 30 hours of looking) I wound up with this simple white vanity with a marble top. It has self closing drawers, a big spacious storage cabinet and a nice veins in the marble for about $500. If your space is smaller this one is great as well.

I started out looking at Kohler faucets and didn???t love the less expensive ones. Of course the ones I did like were $800 and up and well that just seemed crazy for a faucet. So when I found this faucet I was super excited and it was $154.

And what pulled the room together and gave it that understated upscale look? The paint. Before we tore it apart this bathroom had a peachy pink tile (ick) and bisque colored walls. Behr actually sent me a couple of gallons of their new Marquee paint in the awesome color Silver City to check out. It was the perfect shade to fall between the gray of the woodgrain tile, the white of the tub, toilet and vanity and work well with the brushed nickel fixtures. It is literally my perfect color.

—————–
Looking for ways to update your home on a budget? Checkout this article about updating your home on a budget that could be of interest to you.
—————–

Read the entire article here: http://www.mommytesters.com/2014/05/how-i-renovated-our-bathroom-on-budget.html

Decluttering and Just Storing Everything? Take a Look at This First!

Posted on March 23, 2017 by Jeremy Leake

When decluttering your home it can be easy to just stick everything in a bin and put it in the garage or attic without thinking too much about it. In order to help you avoid this we found this article with a pre-storage checklist. We hope it helps you truly declutter!

From the article:

Wait, stop. Do you really need to keep that item you???re about to put into storage?

It has happened to the best of us: You???re fed up with the unused exercise machine, broken toaster, outgrown baby clothes or fill-in-the-blank taking up space in your home, so you pick it up and take it to storage. Whether your storage area is in a basement, an attic, a backyard shed or a rented unit, chances are it???s filled with things you do not really want or need. While we???re not going to tackle cleaning out your storage here (a topic for another day), the first step is to stop yourself from creating any more clutter in there. So the next time you want to add something to storage, stop and ask yourself these 10 questions first.

Do you need it? This sounds like a simple enough question, but how each of us answers is highly individual. If you are making an effort to cut back on clutter, try to get real about what ???need??? means to you. Whether you decide to take a strictly minimalist approach or keep a more fluid list of items you need for living as well as those you cherish for emotional reasons, defining what is important to you is the first step in preventing clutter.

Do you like it? Just because you???ve been saving the same decorations from year to year doesn???t mean you must keep doing it. Instead of going through the motions, really look at each item you are considering storing and ask yourself whether it still suits your style as much now as it did when you purchased it. Tastes evolve, and you will love your home more if you allow yourself to let go of things that just aren???t doing it for you.

Does it work? Don???t let your basement become the place where broken things go to die! It???s so easy to let that happen, telling yourself, ???I???ll fix it one of these days.??? But most of the time, if you don???t care enough about the item in question to get it fixed ASAP, it???s probably not worth keeping.

Is that the right container for the job? Buying containers is best left for last ??? it???s a lot easier and less expensive to get rid of something you don???t need than buy a container for it. Keeping like items together will make it much easier to find things, so stick with a container that just fits what you need to store; otherwise you will be tempted to fill it up with unrelated items.

—————–
Looking for more organization ideas? Checkout this article about organization ideas that could be of interest to you.
—————–

Read the entire article here: https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/46269095/list/pre-storage-checklist-10-questions-to-ask-yourself-before-you-store

Looking for Ways to Make Your Child Better Problem Solvers? Try These Ideas!

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

Problem solving is something that everyone has to do everyday of their lives. Some people love it, some people hate, some people are really good at it, and some people are terrible at it. How do you help your kids become good problem solvers though? We found this article that will help answer that question for you and help you help your child. We hope it helps!

—————-
If you need Lafayette apartment associations vent cleaning services, then Dryer Vents Plus is your #1 choice! Call Jeremy Leake today at 225-612-7752 to schedule your 100% Free, No Obligation Quote!
—————-

From the article:

Children are natural problem solvers, and early childhood settings – where children interact with one another and participate in decision making – offer countless opportunities for children to grow in their problem-solving abilities. These important experiences help children learn to value different kinds of thinking, think logically and creatively, and take an active role in their world.

YOUR ROLE
You help foster problem solving not so much by providing special materials or specific activities but by having a responsive, accepting attitude. Here are other key ways to facilitate children’s growth:

Provide plenty of time every day for children to choose activities based on their interests and developmental levels. Free-play situations create endless opportunities for children to identify and solve problems.

Follow children’s leads. By observing children’s interactions and dilemmas, you can support their problem-solving efforts and help them accomplish their goals.

Reinforce children’s solutions. Let children know that their ideas and efforts are valued.

Extend creative thinking and problem solving. Ask open-ended questions about activities to help children see the problem they are trying to solve in new and different ways.

————–
Looking for chore ideas for your kids? Checkout this article on chore ideas for kids that could be of interest to you.
————–

Read the entire article here: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/how-you-can-help-children-solve-problems

Looking to Decorate Your Home? Find Out How Much it Will REALLY Cost Here!

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

Decorating a home is so exciting. Whether you are moving into a new home, setting out on your own, or just getting married it’s so exciting to decorate your new home. Everyone knows it costs money to decorate but most people aren’t aware of how much it actually costs to decorate an entire house. We found this article by Realtor.com that helps you determine just how much it will actually cost. Good luck and have fun decorating your new home!

===========
If you need Lafayette apartment associations vent cleaning services, then Dryer Vents Plus is your #1 choice! Call Jeremy Leake today at 225-612-7752 to schedule your 100% Free, No Obligation Quote!
===========

From the article:

To get an idea of what finished rooms cost to complete, we asked top designer-owners of Decorating Den Interiors franchises in different cities to show us a single room they designed. They shared before and after photos, furnishing costs, and each space???s challenges and advantages. You???ll hear where they splurged and when they cut back, as well as additional tips to guide you through the process of completing a room.

What: Living Room
How Much: $15,630
Designers: Barbara Elliott and Jennifer Ward-Woods, Atlanta

Challenges: This room already had a contemporary design but was nested within a traditional house. Also, the room had several openings, making it tough to arrange a functional layout. Finally, the home owners owned almost nothing other than the console.

Advantages: The room already had attractive built-ins and a fireplace and had been painted a nice taupe gray. It had good hardwood floors and a ceiling fan.

Solutions: With a modest budget of between $10,000 and $20,000, the design partners focused on purchasing a quality circular two-part sectional that would offer a lot of seating and anchor the room. They also purchased a pair of side chairs to flank the fireplace, a good area rug, and upscale silk window treatments, which are visible upon entering the foyer. The designers knew these purchases would last; they cut back on accessories to fill the bookcase. The designers also completed the room in two phases???first choosing the upholstery, window treatments, rug, and one work of art, then introducing accessories and lamps later.

Tip: Splurge on pieces that provide the greatest longevity and take the most wear and tear. ???The sofa was custom-made, came with some pillows, and cost $3,300, but it was well worth it,??? says Elliott.

——————–
Looking to remodel your kitchen? Checkout this article about kitchen remodel ideas for busy homeowners that could be of interest to you.
——————–

TO see all of the ideas click here: http://realtormag.realtor.org/home-and-design/architecture-coach/article/2013/06/how-much-does-it-really-cost-decorate