Love The Home You Have by Melissa Michaels

Do you dream about having the perfect home? I do.  I think mine started back when I was in elementary school and we took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina (one of my favorite cities), to visit Biltmore House.  Talk about an eye-opening moment.  I remember it.  I couldn't believe how big and how beautiful it was.  It had a room for everything.  Literally, everything had its own room...fruits and veggies, own room...meats, own room...gardening, own room...hunting, own room...guests, own WING, hello?!  That was officially the beginning of the house bug for me.  And, I haven't recovered yet.

So, fast forward 30, uh, many years and becoming an actual homeowner.  My husband and I have bought and sold houses over the past 25 years.  Our first as a young married couple, just looking for what we could afford and call our own.  A zero-lot line house with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath and the place we brought home our first daughter.  It became too small, very quickly.  Between that home and our current large home with 8 acres in the country, we've owned many sizes and kinds.  

Each was my dream home even though none of them were the same.  What do I mean?  Well, I wasn't certain myself until I read Melissa Michael's book, Love The Home You Have.   Melissa, of The Inspired Room blog, puts into words how most of us feel about our dream home and how we can actually have that home right where we are now.  
                                       

Some of you are probably like me and struggle with being content with my home when the grass always appears greener on the other side of the fence.  To quote Melissa, "the grass is greener where it's watered."  

"Studying why I love beautiful things challenges me to see them as works of art and not as impossible dreams...it inspires me to recreate it in my own way, in my own four walls, and within my ability and means."  

Yes!  That's it!  Finding inspiration and using it to create our dream home within our means.  

Back to Biltmore House, which I've visited several times since elementary school, what I found as inspiration from it was its ability to host guests, hold parties and events, provide a place to relax.  Ok!  That's manageable in the home I have.  I can't quite throw a bowling party in my basement but we have hosted guests, threw birthday parties, wedding showers, and holidays that were a lot of fun.  

It really is about finding inspiration and then using it to make your current home what you want it to be.  

That's just a taste of Love The Home You Have.  It offers so much more.  It includes a 31-day challenge that would be perfect for a ladies' group to do together!  

If you're interested in purchasing Melissa's book, you can find it here:

Love The Home You Have 

(affiliate link)

Ok, I'm getting back to my copy of the book.  I've got more notes to make.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

I was provided a free copy of the book to help spread the word.  All opinions are mine.  The affiliate link, should you purchase through it, would provide The Altered Past with a few pennies :)  

EnduroShield Glass Treatment Review

We live in an area with very hard water.  Lots of minerals in our water means lots of spots on fixtures and showers doors in our bathrooms.

(Hard to see but this is a photo of the shower door, open toward the closet door...see the spots!)

While the faucets and handles are quick to wipe down as I use them daily, the shower door has always been a problem.  Water spots and soap scum seem to build up quicker on the door than my routine cleaning schedule.  

So, when I was asked by EnduroShield to give their glass product a try, I jumped at the chance.

You do need to start with a clean glass door but there is a cleaner, EnduroClean, included in the package.  Following the instructions on the package, clean the glass and buff a clean cotton rag to remove any remaining streaks.

Next you're ready to apply the EnduroShield.  You work in small areas until all areas are completely covered.

I did this whole process in the morning after everyone had showered.  Once applied, you do need to let the product cure for 8 hours before any chemicals such as soap or shampoo come in contact with the door.  Water will not affect the curing process.

(Photo of the door after the treatment had cured)

The instructions do say to clean the shower door weekly.  I will confess that I do not clean it but once every two weeks.  Between those two weeks, the door has remained looking film free.

(Same shot of the door, open toward the closet...no spots!)

Having used EnduroShield has helped our shower door maintain a cleaner appearance between cleanings.  I was provided with a free product to review but the opinions are 100% mine.