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Airbnb Guest Suite #1 Updates 2022
It’s been a couple of years since I started my Airbnb guest suites and I’ve made a few minor changes to my guest suite #1. Whether someone is coming for work or leisure they like to have a safe, homey place they can stay. New Barbecue. My newest Airbnb update to guest suite #1… I have added a little barbecue for my guests to enjoy. This update is one of the suggestions a couple of guests gave and I was finally able to acquire. This little 2 burner barbecue is an Expert Grill from Walmart and cost just over $100. So far, it’s been great. *(This is not sponsored or an affiliate link.)…
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Frozen Food Organization – From Freezer to Fridge
Are you wasting food and money when your perishables go bad before you can eat them? Whether you just have a fridge with a little freezer section or multiple appliances, everyone needs an organization system to store their perishable frozen foods for a longer duration. My Food Organization System is Born… When I got a new counter-depth fridge, I found that I needed another freezer. So, I bought a little upright freezer to keep in my garage, just outside my kitchen. Then last year I decided to get a freezer order from a local farm company and needed another small chest freezer. I decided to keep this freezer in my storage room because…
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Make Your Own 72 Hour Emergency Kit Bag
Are you prepared to leave your home suddenly if there is an emergency that requires you to evacuate for at least 72 hours? Being prepared for an emergency can give you peace of mind. This article is to help you if you have to evacuate your home and just need a basic, budget-friendly emergency “Grab’n’Go” or “Bug Out” bag. It is NOT about creating a wilderness survival kit although some of the suggestions may be useful in that situation too. What possible emergency scenarios do you need to consider? Where you live will dictate what you need. Are you in an urban or rural area? Is your area prone to extreme weather –…
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Emergency Grab ‘n’ Go Binder (free printables)
Why should you have an Emergency Grab ‘n’ Go binder? In an emergency, you may have to leave your home suddenly. Having all of your vital information in one place will provide you with peace of mind. It is best to remain calm in the face of an emergency, but not always our first response. With a grab ‘n’ go binder you will have the important documents to get benefits or help, if displaced, or be able to get replacements if destroyed. It may provide you with the proof you need to rebuild your life after a disaster. The information kept in the binder can also be used in your day to day…
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How to Get Rid of Stuff (Responsibly)
After all the decluttering we do, so many times we end up with piles of stuff in our garages or other holding spots. Months later they may still be there because we haven’t got around to getting rid of them. With spring right on our doorstep you may feel motivated to clean out those areas. Maybe you are anticipating a move or have plans to sell your house. You definitely want to get rid of those unwanted things before you put your house on the market or move. If you are having trouble with the “how” of getting rid of your stuff responsibly this is the article for you. *This is not a…
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IKEA Utility Cabinet & Norwex Organization
Where do you keep your brooms, mops and other cleaning things? I have a utility cabinet in my pantry wall with an IKEA shelf pullout. The pull-out feature makes it easy to get all the things in the back. Of course I added a couple of my own little hacks to organize all my Norwex (and some other) cleaning supplies. Items needed in the kitchen or for regular household cleaning are kept in this cabinet. I keep clothing related and back up cleaning supplies in my laundry room. The linen closet beside the bathroom stores cleaning items for the bathroom and upper floor. Click here to read about laundry room organization. Utility Cabinet…
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Living Room Refresh – Add Accent Wall
With spring just around the corner you might want to refresh your living room with a little paint. It’s amazing what a difference just a little paint can make to a room. Your walls may be scuffed or dinged up or you may be bored with the colour. Paint is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to transform a space. Try something new and pick a brand new colour or do an accent wall. Getting inspiration for your living room… If you haven’t been paying attention to the new trends in design on TV or magazines, inspiration is just a click away online. Pinterest and Houzz are just two sites that have great…
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Small IKEA Kitchen Organization-Guest Suite #2
Organizing a small kitchen has it’s own special challenges. I had to re-examine what was needed with my newly renovated IKEA kitchen in my guest suite . My accent colour of red remains to co-ordinate with the colours in the living room. Halfway between kitchen declutter & organizing. Step One in kitchen organization… Of course, I had to declutter before I started to organize. (I’m sure you saw that coming if you have read any of my other organizing blogs.) There is no point in organizing things that are not necessary or need replacing, so it’s time for them to go. New dishwasher! Step Two in kitchen organization…sorting & cleaning… Everything was sorted…
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Guest Suite#2 Makeover Part Three – IKEA Kitchen Reno
Well, I finally got my guest suite #2 kitchen reno done. Thanks to the supply delays that IKEA has been experiencing, it has taken three months to complete. (It’s a good thing I don’t have many guests in the winter.) Before – 24″ apartment-size fridge, tile countertops & teeny, tiny corner cabinet doors. Guest kitchen before and why I wanted to change it… On first look, the original kitchen wasn’t too bad – just a little dated. The countertops had been “temporarily” covered with tiles with the grout that was hard to keep clean. The corner cabinet doors were so narrow only a little person could get in them. And the corners of…
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Reset Kitchen – Updated Pantry Organization
What is lurking in your food stores? Periodically we need to go through our pantry, clean it out, reassess everything and reset the organization. Declutter expired foods or foods you aren’t going to eat and get reacquainted with the things you forgot you had. This year when I was doing this , I wanted to tweak it a little, to better reflect my health goals. How it looked the last time I tweaked my pantry. What are your goals for your pantry organization? Do you have family members that have special dietary needs? Maybe you would like to have their things organized together in one place. Perhaps you have a super busy household…
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Favorite Recipes – Cauliflower Mac & Cheese or Mash – Keto Friendly
Almost two years ago I discovered this cheesy cauliflower dish and have tweaked it to be just how I like it. (It is great for anyone following a ketogenic diet too.) You can substitute the type of cheeses or cream. For cauliflower mac & cheese it can be cut up in small pieces. To make a mash, it can be blended to be more of a pureed consistency so have fun making it your own. Benefits of cauliflower… *Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and the following information for the health benefits of cauliflower is for your information only. If you have any allergies or dietary issues please consult a qualified practitioner. Cauliflower…
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Bathroom Reset and Declutter – Top Tips/Expiry Dates
Resetting for the new year includes decluttering all the unmentionables in your bathroom. Clear out those products that you don’t use, lost in back of cabinets, expired medications and other products. If you have another area in your home where you keep extra “bathroom” products, go through them too. You may find things you forgot you had so you went and bought more. My discard piles. How many nail clippers do I need? Step One in bathroom reset…Removing and Sorting… Begin by removing everything and putting like with like. If you don’t have much time or find it overwhelming, just do one drawer or space at a time. Discard obvious garbage – empty…
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Home Project Binder(free printables)
Are you planning any home improvements this year? I like to organize my plans in my home project binder. You can download some free printables I have created for your own binder. Whether you are planning one project or several it can make it easier if you have all the details organized in one place. Reviewing Past Plans…declutter and archive… As with all organizing projects, I began with a review of past projects and decluttered. Any papers, brochures that I no longer need were discarded. My home kitchen reno was finally completed so I was able to move those plans to my archive files. You can read about my IKEA kitchen reno here: https://aquahaven747.com/ikea-kitchen-stage-four-finally-completed/…
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Declutter Files – Reset for New Year-Part 2
Do you know where your bills to be paid are? Can you find an important document in less than five minutes? Despite us now living in the digital age, we are still inundated with papers every day. If you don’t have a business, the papers you need to keep will be minimal. There are many sources of paper clutter, but the focus of this post will be to reset your current and long-term files. Step One… Assess papers and systems… As a business owner I have to keep receipts and other papers for at least seven years. Although I have backups for some electronic records, I still like to have a hard paper…
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Reset for New Year-Part 1-Declutter Closet & Get Real
Ahh. The new year is here. Finally a chance to start over and reset our lives. Declutter the old and make room for the new. There really isn’t anything magical about January, but it is a psychological phenomena. Many people associate a new year with a chance to “start over”. Maybe a chance to get back on track with some of their goals or just to try and block out the previous challenging year. I know I certainly do. As part of the Chinese ritual for their New Year (which happens to fall on February 1st this year) the entire house has to be cleaned. It is symbolic of getting rid of the…
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(Minimalist) Decluttering & Organizing Christmas Decor
Over the years I have acquired a nice collection of Christmas decorations. I tend to use a lot of the same decorations year after year, but I inevitably also get a few new things. Strangely enough I have accumulated a lot more decorations than I end up using. As you may already be aware, I try to declutter a little every year. A couple of years ago, I was able to contain them to three bins (not including the trees or wreaths.) Tip #1 Assess how you decorate… In previous years I have had a traditional red theme, intermingled with silver and gold. I have also had a red and blue theme and…
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Guest Suite #2 Makeover Part Two – Bedroom Refresh
My guest suite #2 also had a little update in the bedroom this year. It’s amazing what a little paint and a few “new” accessories can do. Some “Before” bedroom makeover pictures… Before makeover Before with antique dresser Corner bedroom – before I had originally painted the pale lilac colour for my mother, but didn’t have time to repaint when I first turned the apartment into an Airbnb guest suite. When I finally got a chance to fit it in (with all my other projects) I decided on the gender neutral palette of navy, grey and white. Painted two walls white and two walls navy. After raiding my storage room I found some…
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Guest Suite #2 Makeover – Part One Bathroom Refresh
This year I began to get my guest suite #2 bathroom refreshed, starting with some subtle repairs and maintenance. Bathroom Refresh Part One… You can’t see it, but the original fan was so noisy it sounded like an airplane upstairs when it was on. I looked into getting a new one but all the new ones required different venting. The ceiling would have had to be ripped open and then be redone. Even though the replacement part was as expensive as a good new fan, I saved a ton on labour and I also had the electrician put a timer switch on it. Cabinet, countertop/sink & mirror before Broken, chipped tiles before Plug…
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Favourite Recipes – Slowcooker Lasagna
At this time of year thoughts turn to comfort food. Almost anything cooked in a slow cooker qualifies, but one of my favourites is lasagna. It is also a hit to any potluck and it is so easy to make. I like to make my own marinara type sauce but you could use your own favorite pasta sauce. List of ingredients for slow cooker lasagna… For this recipe I used ground chicken, but any ground meat would do.(approx. 1-2lbs.) You will also need: Oven ready lasagna noodles Ricotta cheese Mozzarella or cheddar cheese -2 cups grated (leave some for topper) Parmesan cheese 1 egg Spinach – 1 cup or approx. 6 cubes frozen.…
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IKEA Kitchen Stage Four – Finally Completed!
I didn’t think the day would ever come when I could say the kitchen was finally done, but it is here! If you have followed my blog you will know that I have been renovating it in stages. The big thing I was waiting to do was the floor and then I could finish off the kickboards and trim and the peninsula. Pantry wall subfloor – before Broken and missing tiles – before I actually didn’t mind the kitchen tiles when I moved in and had thought to save them. Phase one of my kitchen reno (the pantry wall) showed me that that would not be possible and they got further damaged with…
