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Here are the latest month's daily tips from Right at Home Daily.
Buy a wheelbarrow, a new pair of rubber "Wellington" boots, a knee pad, and some new gardening hand tools. Create a space in the garage to hang your new gardening accessories.
Change bedding from wintry comforter covers to lightweight cotton blankets and quilts. Put fresh cotton sheets on your bed to sleep more comfortably during hot summer nights.
Check your air conditioner and attic fan before you use them, for safety. If you don't have AC, consider installing a central system or room units. You'll tolerate the heat much better, especially if you're older and live in a warm climate.
Are you using your outdoor space to its maximum advantage? Consider adding a screened-in porch or installing an awning over a terrace you can nature more comfortably.
With wasps out and building nests, double check your screens for holes. Hire a pest inspector to remove any new nests as well.
Weathervanes are chic once again. Now homeowners may choose from a menagerie of roosters, cows, pigs, quails, horses in classic, antique reproduction and modern designs. Even solid copper weathervanes are relatively affordable.
To spice up a room, add your own hand-painted pottery. Consider decorating it yourself or throw a pottery party for your friends. For those who are not as artistically inclined, purchase design templates so everyone's pottery can look professionally glazed.
Attend a flea market or yard sale to find 1940s and 1950s classics such as toasters, bar stools, martini shakers and glasses. Old-fashioned items add charm even to a high-tech kitchen.
Move outdoor gear, boots and ski clothing to another location to free up space for baseball bats, gloves, running shoes and other summer play equipment.
Now that it's spring, consider freshening up the paint on your home's exterior. To make your home look larger, paint the trim a light color, either white or off-white. The lighter trim will contrast nicely with a black or dark green door and shutters.
Bring out or buy a picnic hamper, find an old blanket and invite friends over for an evening of games such as croquet, volleyball, music, charades. Have everyone bring their own picnic hampers and blankets, so no one gets stuck cooking on a nice evening.
Take your old family movies or slides and turn them into videos that are easier to watch. If there are special slides, have prints made and frame them for family members.
If you love working on your computer, or need to for business, buy a laptop that can be used outdoors.
Consider buying a grill with style. Today's grills are made of stainless steel or copper with brass trim. Some fancy versions sport grills set into a stucco base with terra-cotta tile counter with a fireplace that doubles as a pizza oven. Others have warming drawers. Some are so high-tech that they feature a motorized rotisserie, outside temperature gauges, side burners and even wok burners with intensely high heat. Some also include refrigerators. But the price tags can be hot and hefty, too.
Get out your cookbooks and food magazines and jot down recipes that are lighter and use spring produce and vegetables.
With longer days ahead, consider some activity you like to do in the late afternoon after work and before dinner. It might be as simple as walking the dog. You might invite a neighbor over periodically for a drink and the two of you go for a walk in your neighborhood. Enjoy your outdoor surroundings more.
Have your carpets and area rugs cleaned to remove the dirt and grime you've tracked in during the winter.
Check your garden furniture and decide what needs a good cleaning, repainting, and scraping, or new cushions. Get ready to spend time outdoors.
Shop local salvage shops and look for an old marble sink top. Revive it with a new stainless steel bowl, faucet, and fit it to an existing cabinet or add on stainless steel legs for a modern look.
Transform a flea market footstool, stripped of its upholstery and painted white, into a functional coffee table.
At a retail home center, buy a flat rock or cobblestone mold into which you can pour concrete to create an inexpensive but attractive patio or pathway.
Once you've spiffed up the exterior of your home and your landscape is in bloom, consider having a portrait made or your home photographed by a professional.
Cover old paneling with sunny flat colors for your new family room or kitchen. Pale yellow warms any room and typically doesn't clash with anything.
Buy a new umbrella and umbrella stand. Remember, April showers bring May flowers!
Spring is a perfect time to clear the roof eaves of debris. Use brooms or roof shovels that allow you to stand on the ground while pulling down water and other stuff to avoid damaging the roof or yourself.
Host a spring brunch and serve seasonal fruits, fruit-flavored spirits, and cold dishes. Buy a dozen lemons and pile them in a white, terra cotta or blue bowl for a fresh and colorful centerpiece. Make real lemonade or limeade, and add a slice of fruit to the rim.
Spring cleaning includes your closet: Give away or discard clothing you haven't worn in the last year and make a list of any spring and summer clothing you need, including bathing suits, shorts, T-shirts.
Move your winter clothes to the attic or a basement cedar closet to make room for your spring and summer outfits. Anything dirty should go to the cleaners immediately.
Get ready for the Fourth of July by creating a tri-color menu, forming a guest list and deciding where you'll view the fireworks in your area. You might opt to watch them on TV.
Have your first Presidents' Day dinner in your new home with cherry pie and other foods from Washington and Lincoln's time.
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