The kitchen, the most often-used room in the home, is usually a good place to invest your time and money when it comes to renovating or redecorating. But a full renovation can be quite costly – ranging well into the tens of thousands of dollars. For a simple, less expensive facelift consider changing the backsplash.

The backsplash, that wall area between the countertop and upper cabinets, can make quite an impact on the overall look of your kitchen, despite its relatively small size. Options are numerous and really only limited to your imagination – and the ease with which it can be cleaned, as it will indeed get splashed from time to time.

Popular materials include;

Natural stone – spending the extra for natural stone like granite, marble or limestone can make good sense given the small area you are covering. Textures, colours, and tile size and shape vary widely. And you know it will have the durability you need.
Ceramic and porcelain tile – an amazing and growing variety of colours, materials, textures available. Mix and match for added impact. Incorporating different types can yield amazing results. The grout colour options can radically change the overall effect.
Made-made surfaces – a less expensive, but less eco-friendly option to natural stone. Can be found to imitate just about any surface.
Metal laminate panels – try stainless steel sheet for a sleek, modern look. Others metals include copper, zinc, tin, brass or nickel.
Plastic tiles – made to look like the old country home tin ceilings.
Glass/Mirror – a simple option - panels of glass can protect photographs, pictures, kid’s artwork and such. Mirrors can help spread the light in dimly lit kitchens.

Backsplash Tips

• Be prepared to look at a wide variety of materials before deciding. It’s always great to get ideas from friends and magazines, but keep an open mind - the options will amaze you.  
• Be sure to bring any colour chips and fabric swatches with you. And keep in mind the finish of your taps and cabinet hardware when choosing.  
• For a simple, modern look, use a backsplash that matches your countertop.
• Applying tiles on the diagonal can add impact.
• A light colour and/or a shiny surface will help reflect light on the countertop.
• Grout is the hardest part of a tiled backsplash to keep clean. The larger the tile, the less group to clean.
• Dark grout is easier to keep clean and stain-free.

A lot of people take the summer off of gardening – or at least stop doing anything major. Autumn is a good time to tackle both the fall ‘maintenance’ chores and many of the more major gardening projects.

Use the following list as a reminder of what may need to be done;

Lawn
• Fall fertilization is the most important application of the year.
• Reseed bare or thin areas.
• Best time of the year to plant grass from seed and to ‘overseed’.

Vegetables
• Take what Mother Nature will give. Continue to harvest until production ends.

Herbs
• Harvest herbs such as sage and oregano and hang the cleaned stems upside down in dark space to dry.
• Chives, oregano, basil or rosemary can be potted for use indoors over the winter.

Flowers
• A good time to transplant and divide most perennials.
• Prepare houseplants for return trip indoors. Rinse leaves and container thoroughly to keep insects out.
• Purchase spring flowering bulbs for October planting.

Trees/Shrubs
• Continue to water trees and shrubs. Plants, especially evergreens, need to be well hydrated going into winter.

Environmentally-conscious people may differ and debate on whether using handkerchiefs is more earth-friendly than tissues (use resources to wash vs. kill trees), but all would agree that tissues are the popular choice these days – especially during this time of year when allergies leave many Canadians red-eyed and sniffling. However, even if we live in a community where tissues can be recycled (compostable waste) most of our used tissues end up in the bathroom or bedroom waste baskets and do not get included in the kitchen scraps waste.

If the service is available at your home, maximize its benefits by recycling all possible waste - including used tissues - by adding a second waste basket in all rooms of your home or separating out the recyclables before taking it to the curb.

“If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.�
~ Benjamin Franklin

Fall Fairs in Canada – A regular feature during autumn in Canada are the fall fairs. Whether you have kids to join you or like to check them out alone, there is always something interesting to see and experience. Refer to this schedule to see when a fair is planned for a town in your area.

Back-to-School Sleep Tips – It happens every year – children wrestle with the need to return to their school-time regimen of waking and going to bed. For some, the adjustment is easy. For others, it can take weeks to get back into a groove. This site has some good ideas to help make the transition.

Grade 1 Language Skills Games – A friend’s daughter is starting grade 1 this year. She is concerned that her little girl isn’t where she should be when it comes to speaking and language skills. I found this site and recommended it to her and she loved it! Lots of games that help improve language skills.

School Lunch Ideas – It’s that time again! The chore of making school lunches returns! No need to fret. Try some new ideas to add interest to the meal and to get out of the school lunch rut.

Simple, but Not Stupid
Brevity is the way when texting. But in our search for short cuts and abbreviations, many have gone overboard to the point of losing understanding of the message. So be short, but also be clear.

Mind your Manners
If you are with others, be careful not to be rude when texting. Think of sending or reading text messages like a phone call. If you wouldn’t take or make a call in a certain situation, don’t take or generate a text message either.

No Heavy Content
It is rarely appropriate to use texting as the medium for important, personal and private matters. Use the phone or e-mail for more involved discussions.

Don’t Overload
Sending too many messages or messages too often will annoy many people. An acceptable frequency depends on your relationship with that person. One general rule of thumb is to text a person only as often as you would call them.

Not Suitable for All Locations/Situations
Though you may not notice it, even the light from your cell phone can be a distraction in certain places. Avoid text-messaging during movies, in theatres, and other similar situations.

Cube of Concentration – Steven, age 11, says, “I love these kinds of games. You have to remember where all the icons are so you can match them and remove them. It’s a lot harder dealing with a cube, and even more fun.�

Fresh Baked Fractions – Carly, age 13, says, “Time to get back into math. I like math. But even if you don’t, you will love this game. There are 4 different levels to challenge you.�

Bob the Builder – Carlos, age 7, says, “I like to build things, even on the computer. It’s fun on this site. It’s really easy, too. You get to use all the trucks and stuff to build things. I like Bristle. He cleans up. He’s cool!�

Backpack Buddies – Katherine, age 8, says, “My friend told me about this site. She and her mother made some of these Backpack Buddies. They were so cute I made some, too! They are really easy and fun to make.�

September is an excellent month to take care of outdoor caulking needs – before the fall weather is upon us and before insects take refuge from cooler temps and invade your home. Time for some advice on caulking;

Clean & Dry – Don’t waste your time. Prepare the surface properly to accept the caulking – or it won’t stay stuck!
Get Want You Need - Buy product that has the features required for that specific caulking job; paint-ability, interior or exterior use, lifespan, flexibility, mildew resistance, etc.
You Can’t Cut it Longer – Start by cutting just a little off the caulking tube tip to test the size of the bead of caulk that comes out. If it’s too small for the job, trim some more off. And always cut the tip at an angle to make it easier to apply.

“You don't know what pressure is until you've played for five dollars a hole with only two in your pocket.� ~ Lee Trevino

“A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married.� ~ H.L. Mencken

“A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on� ~ Samuel Goldwyn

“A kindergarten teacher is someone who loves children and hates zippers.� ~ Unknown