via RC Willey

There is nothing like having a fire pit in your backyard. I don’t think you could find anyone who doesn’t love summer evenings sitting around the fire, talking, telling stories, and making smores. My parents have a fire pit in their backyard and I’ve realized that lighting a fire after dinner makes even the most normal evening feel like a party. Now that my husband and I are fixing up our backyard, I’m on the hunt for our own fire pit. Here are some of my favorite fire pit options. 

I like these wood fueled fire pits that I could make on my own.

via House and Fig

via Jamie Sanders

But I am seriously considering getting a propane fueled fire pit. Easier cleanup and no fire smell lingering for days? Sound good to me!

via RC Willey

via RC Willey

Do you have a fire pit in your yard? Did you make your own or buy one? Let me know and check out all of RC Willey's fire pits here!

Color has a psychological effect on us, whether we are aware of it or not, and knowing this makes a big difference when it comes to decorating a room. Whether you’re planning on painting your walls or picking new bedding, knowing what effect different colors have on your mood will help you figure out how to design your perfect room. 

via Domino

WHITE:

White is the color of purity and innocence. It's sometimes known as the color of perfection and helps connote cleanliness. Sometimes, though, stark white can feel sterile and cold. 

via Growing Spaces

BLACK:

Black is a strong, bold color that is authoritative and mysterious. Using black adds a formal, elegant feeling to a room. Because it is such a strong color, black can feel suffocating or claustrophobic if you're not careful of how you use it.

via Createcph

GRAY: 

Being a mix of black and white, gray is the color of compromise. It's an unemotional color and can fit itself into most color schemes, but pure gray can occasionally feel detached or indecisive. 

via Havenly

RED: 

Strong, bold, and energetic, the color red grabs attention. It's the color of love, but also of decisiveness and aggression. Have you noticed how many restaurants use red in their decor? This color is supposed to make you hungry. 

via Elle Decor

PINK: 

Femininity is linked with the color pink. It's a nurturing, tranquil color that is often linked with youth. 

 via Shelterness

ORANGE: 

Orange is an enthusiastic, creative, joyful color. This color is linked with comfort and food. 

via Apartment Therapy

YELLOW:

Yellow is the happiest color. It's often linked with confidence and optimism and is thought to stimulate mental activity. Studies have shown, though, that bright yellow rooms make babies cry more, so avoid painting a nursery with this color!

via Apartment Therapy

GREEN:

Green is a very balanced, organic color. This is a calming color that brings to mind nature. It's linked with self-reliance and growth.  

via Pencil Shavings Studio

BLUE:

Many office buildings are decorated with the color blue because it is supposed to clear your mind and mentally calming. This is an intellectual color that is often linked with logic. Blue is also supposed to curb appetites and can feel cold. 

via Living at Home

PURPLE: 

This is the color of imagination, ambition, and royalty. Purple symbolizes wisdom and adds a feeling of luxury when used. 

We just painted our bedroom blue and I love how calm I feel whenever I'm relaxing there. Have you noticed colors impacting how you feel? What colors do you like to have in your home? 

To buy organic, or non-organic. 

This is a constant question I am asking myself at the grocery store.  

I understand that there are real health benefits associated with eating organic fruits and vegetables, grains, meat and dairy.... but do they make the steep additional costs worth it? Or is it just a ploy to get more of my money? If I choose to eat a piece of non-organic fruit over a muffin, in my mind that is a win because it's still healthier than processed food!  Right?  But then I read something or watch Netflix documentaries about all of the growth hormones, pesticides, and crap in the food we eat and it scares me to think I'm feeding my babies these things!   Clearly I'm all over the board.  

If you're like me, and find yourself smack dab in the middle of the organic lovers and the organic haters (we all know people in both camps), read on! Every year since 2004, The Environmental Working Group has put out a Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce.  The guide ranks pesticide contamination of 48 popular fruits and vegetables, based on more than 35,200 samples of produce tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration.  The best part is they lay it out so simply for the average consumer and come up with two basic lists. The Dirty Dozen features the top 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest loads of detectible pesticides, while The Clean Fifteen highlights those produce items with the very least amount of pesticides.  

When it comes to making the best choices for your family at the grocery store, this guide is gold!  If you want to make your money count the very most, make sure you are investing in organic fruits and vegetables from the dirty dozen list.  There is actually a major difference here between organic and non-organic here, you guys!  The Clean Fifteen?  Not so much. 

So here it is, the newly announced 2017 lists:

Happy Shopping! 

Happy Shopping!! 

Did you know there is actually a pretty big difference between the terms barbecuing and grilling? I had no idea. I generally use the term “barbecue” for anytime I eat outside and fire up the grill, but apparently, I’ve been saying it wrong for years.

It all comes down to the temperature and the time spent cooking. When you barbecue something, you’re cooking the meat for a really long time on a really low temperature. That’s what makes those baby back ribs fall off the bone.

Grilling, on the other time, uses hotter temperatures and direct heat to cook the meat. It’s a much quicker process and the quick heat helps to seal in the juices we all love. If you’re cooking a more tender meat, like hamburger or chicken, you’re going to be grilling.

So there it is! If you’re throwing some brisket on the grill that will take hours to cook, go ahead and call it a barbecue. If you’re just tossing on some hot dogs and hamburgers, I guess you’re just having a cookout. Whatever you’re cooking up this summer, check out all RC Willey’s grill options and let us know what you’re making!

If you’re like me, you may occasionally debate over what can actually be recycled in your recycling bin at home. While each city may vary on specifics, here are some general guidelines for what to put in your blue recycling bin and what to avoid. 

Yes, put these in your blue bin -

Paper and Cardboard

• Food is the biggest contaminant of paper recycling. If your paper product has food residue on it, like a used napkin or paper towel, it may not be recyclable.  
• You can definitely recycle your pizza boxes, but if grease and oil have saturated the bottom of the box you may only be able to recycle the lid.
• Shredded paper is harder to reuse than full sheets of paper.

Plastic

• Most plastic containers can be recycled - think bottles, jugs, or jars.
• Be sure there is no food left in your plastic containers - a quick rinse is helpful
• This does not include plastic bags! While plastic bags can be recycled, they often get wound up in equipment, damaging or delaying the recycling process. Most grocery stores have places to drop off plastic bags for recycling.

Metal

• Aluminum cans are 100% recyclable and can be turned into a new can within 60 days of being recycled.
• Tin foil is able to be recycled if there is no food attached to it.
• Make sure you rinse out any leftover food from cans before recycling.

via KUT

No, don't put these in your blue bin -

Not everything that can be recycled can be put in your blue recycling bin. Look for other places to recycle these items. 

Glass

• Look for a local drop off location for glass recycling.

Clothing

• Consider donating your used clothing to a thrift store.

Paper towels and napkins

• The fibers of these products are so small they can’t be reused and they are often contaminated by food.

Food Wrappers

• The plastic your cheese comes in, cereal bags, ziplock bags, etc. cannot be put into your blue bins. There may be drop off locations in your area for these plastics.

Styrofoam

• For large pieces of styrofoam or packing peanuts, you may be able to find a drop-off location in your area. However styrofoam cups, take out boxes, etc. cannot be recycled.

Electronics

• May electronic stores will accept electronics you are trying to recycle. Look for places in your area.

Hazardous Waste

• Look for a hazardous waste drop off in your area.

Appliances

• Depending on the appliance, there are a variety of ways to recycle your old appliances

It doesn't take long to sort your trash and minimize waste in your home. Pause to think before tossing your trash. Could it be reused or recycled? 

How have you set up recycling in your home? 

Having a colorful front door makes a huge impact on the curb appeal of your home. Of course, there are the classic door colors like black, white, and red, but have you ever considered using a brighter, more unexpected color? I’ve been noticing brave front door colors lately, and I love what they do to the overall feel of the home. It's making me want to paint my own front door! Here are some different colors ideas and tips I've heard about painting your front door.  

via Home Stratosphere

via Laura Trevey

Before you paint your front door, think about the overall style of your home. Not every color works with every house, so keep an open mind when picking your paint color. 

via Freshome

A front door can reflect your personality just by adding a coat of paint, so think about your personal style when picking a color. Make sure you love the color! It's what you'll see every time you go in and out of your home. 

via Laura Trevey

via Better Decorating Bible

After you've painted your front door, add other accents of that color around your house to help tie it in. A pot or some flowers that reflect a similar color will help tie in your front door with the rest of your house. 

What color is your front door? Have you thought about going for a bolder color than you have now? 

Knowing how to compost will improve your soil drastically while saving you money. By recycling old plants, leaves, fruit and vegetable trimmings, grass clippings, and other organic material usually found in the trash bin, you will be able to enrich the soil of your garden and limit your impact on the environment. There are a couple of different ways to begin composting described below. 

via Vegetable Garden Plot

Trench Method: 

Dig a trench about 8” deep in your garden beds. Bury your organic materials in the trench, wait 2-3 months, and then you’re ready to start planting right on top of the trench. This requires some foresight because you need to give your materials time to decompose before planting.

via The Real Farmhouse

Compost Bins: 

Containers are not necessary for composting, although they speed up the process and can hide would could be an eyesore. Whether you gave a bin or just a pile on the ground, your compost pile should be about 3 x 3 feet to be most effective. Just make sure that if you build your own compost bin that you will be able to easily turn the compost with a shovel.

via RC Willey

Compost Tumbler:

If you are not interested in turning your compost pile over manually, a compost tumbler may be what you’re looking for. Load up the tumbler with your organic waste, turn the hand crank a couple of times to mix, then turn once a day. The design of tumblers aerates, heats, and mixes the compost to speed up the process. And because it's completely enclosed, there's less of a chance of unwanted pests visiting your compost pile.

via Fix

A couple of things to remember when composting -

• Generally, you’ll want your pile to be 1 part “green” to 2 parts “brown.” Fruit and vegetable scraps, bread and grains, and grass clippings are green. Brown refers to things like shredded newspaper and dead leaves.
• Avoid composting fats or animal products. They attract pests to the pile.
• Don’t put anything that has been treated with a pesticide into the pile.
• Your compost pile should be damp, not wet. Think "wrung out sponge" damp. 
• Materials chopped into small pieces will break down faster.

By the time you’re done composting you should have a dark, rich dirt. You shouldn’t be able to recognize anything you put into the pile. Isn't that amazing? I would love to have a compost pile!

Do you compost at your home? Have you noticed a difference in your gardens by using compost?

It's one of the most controversial design debates of the 21st century.  Both sides of the argument have supportive evidence, but I personally find myself in on the no TV's above the fireplace side of the fence. I know, I know.  It's convenient, it's trendy right now, and it looks nice and streamlined.  But that doesn't mean you should do it!  While it might seem like a good idea, here are 3 reasons why you should never mount your TV over the fireplace...

1. It's bad for your TV.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that heat + technology don't mix very well.  Bottom line: excessive exposure to heat and soot has the potential to really damage a TV.  Now, this doesn't mean your tv will get ruined if you hang it above the mantle per se, but you are definitely amping up your risk. Another important factor to consider: Your tv might hold up fine, but unfortunately your warranty might not.  Many manufacturer's actually void the factory warranty on a television if it has been hanging above a fireplace!  Do your homework before you get skunked.  

2. It's bad for your neck!
Studies have shown that if you have to lift your chin in order to see the television, it's hanging too high.  90% of mantles out there are much, much higher than eye level.  This might seem like a minor factor, but over time the hours and hours and years of straining your neck to see the TV can and will cause some serious and lasting repurcussions.  If you love spending lots of time and money at your chiropractor's office, then by all means hang that TV above the mantle!

3. You don't want your TV to be the main focus of the room.
We live in a time where Apple TV, Hulu, and Cable subscriptions are a natural and normal part of our everyday life.  Who doesn't like catching up on their TV shows or taking part in a good Netflix binge?  I get it.  We like tv. But that doesn't mean that the big black box needs to be the focal point of our living rooms!  Interior design can be lovely and personal and glorious, but to me there really isn't anything pretty about a TV being front and center.  Am I right?  

Where do you stand on this issue??  Are you for or against hanging the TV above the fireplace?  

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! In honor of all the leprechauns out there pinching those who aren’t wearing green, I thought I’d share some of my favorite green items you could incorporate into your home for year round pinch protection. 

I love this emerald green sofa. It's bold and makes a statement. 

If you would rather add a pop of color, this pillow would be a good choice. 

I can't get over how happy this lime green chair makes me! I would love to have this is my home somewhere. 

This KitchenAid is so pretty you could leave on your counter all the time.  

Lounging on this chair on a summer day sounds like a dream right about now. 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!