At Home With Valerie

Not if you follow these Safety Tips As Halloween creakily creeps around the cob webbed corner, many of our thoughts will be on decorating, pumpkin carving and costume making. But, before the parade of ghosts and witches comes knocking on your door, here's a helpful list of things that you can do to keep your home and yard safe for all those anxious trick-or-treaters. Clear your yard of ladders, hoses, leashes, flower pots, low tree limbs, support wires and anything that could cause someone to trip. Be sure to keep your outdoor steps, porch and walkways well lit. Use battery powered jack o'lantern candles instead of a real flame. If you do use candles, keep them away from where trick or treaters will be walking or standing. Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper are highly flammable. Make sure paper or cloth yard decorations can't blow into a flaming candle. Consider fire safety when decorating. Don't overload electrical outlets with holiday l...

Scrambling for bathroom space in your home? Wish you had a second shower for guests or a new tub for kids? Here’s what you’ll need to consider when expanding your home’s bathroom options. Have you been living with a single-bathroom home? Is the time here to consider adding an extra full-bathroom or “water closet” to your existing layout? First, know that of all the renovations you can make to a single-bathroom home, adding an extra bathroom is one of the soundest investments you can make.  With rare exception, the money you put into a second bathroom should pay handsomely when you list your house in the future. The bathroom is one of the most-used rooms in your home and it can have a profound impact on how prospective buyers see your home in the future once you’re ready to move on.  If you’ve been curious about the process or want to make the leap two a two-bathroom home without relocating, you’ll want to keep some tips in mind about this special ...

If you feel yourself overwhelmed from time to time by the darkness in the world, be it from current events in the news, or personal struggles, I wanted to offer some encouragement today that might lighten the burden. The American writer Edith Wharton once wrote, “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Even when we find ourselves with so little light to share, the one thing sure to enhance our defense against the darkness is reflecting the light we encounter. When we act as a mirror, amplifying the light, we light the way for others. In that spirit, here are seven simple ways to cast or reflect light: 1. Send a simple, honest compliment out of the blue. 2. Give people hope through direct assistance. 3. Introduce someone to a helpful resource. 4. Provide pathways to free education and hands-on learning. 5. Introduce two of your friends who do not know one another yet. 6. Include people in efforts for common (o...

Why do so many online conversations turn toxic? What’s the best way to stay engaged with the good while steeling ourselves against the trolls?  Here are some tips I use to protect myself and my reputation online. Maybe they’ll help you gain a little perspective, too. In our age of nearly instantaneous communication, we find ourselves paradoxically with exponentially more opportunities to make fools of ourselves. With every Tweet, Facebook update, Instagram comment, bulk email, accidental “reply to: all,” blog post (and blog comment), we have countless opportunities to stick our feet squarely in our mouths. What’s even more daunting is how the lack of face-to-face communication makes it easier to be outright negative. How many times have you come across blog and Facebook comments that no one in their right mind would say to someone in person? Character and integrity matter as much as they always have, especially in the professional w...

Discernment, (according to Wikipedia) is defined as “the ability to obtain sharp perceptions or to judge well (or the activity of so doing).” Furthermore “considered as a virtue, a discerning individual is considered to possess wisdom, and be of good judgement; especially so with regard to subject matter often overlooked by others.” A byproduct of our technologically-accelerated times is the pressure to form and share opinions rapidly. Facebook posts must be reacted to, comments are written on the fly, and tweets get launched in response to issues even as they are just breaking into the news cycle. It is as if there is some unspoken fear that silence is the same as acquiescence. Silence is inaction. Of course this is an absurd way to live one’s life. Silence is the space in which we practice discernment. More often than not, a pressured response will lead to misrepresentation or simplification of our views. Why be handcuffed by knee-jerk reactions? We must learn to admit we...

Do you find yourself unsettled by uncertainty in your job, neighborhood, or housing market? Are you looking for ways to anticipate change and flow with the times? Here are some strategies to help you cope with the inevitable and prepare for “what’s next.” These days it can feel like everything is subject to dramatic and sudden change. If you’ve found yourself unsure how to live well in the face of “technological disruption” or other macro forces in the media and the markets, perhaps some perspective will help. Most anger and anxiety around upheaval and uncertainty comes from fear. “Where do I fit in?” “How will I adapt?” Sometimes this fear blossoms into full-blown denial. Denial includes a refusal to accept the changes happening before our eyes, an unwillingness to learn about future possibilities, and self-soothing stories which assure us that all will remain basically the same. Instead, you might do well to enhance your mindset perspective. Here are...