My One and Only Home

by Emily Nagel

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“Strengths Finder 2.0” Book Club Discussion Questions

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Being a corporate warrior princess (a.k.a. employee) requires me to take continued education. Recently at a women in leadership training course we read and discussed a book that I quickly realized would be a valuable read for everyone. Yes, everyone.

From full-time student to full-time employee one of the main areas of growth for me was overcoming my weakness. For example, I have had assertiveness as one of my areas of top focus throughout my career.  I have often heard that I’m “just too nice” or that I “need to be more aggressive in negotiations”. These are constructive criticisms that I really do appreciate and makes me better understand some of my areas of opportunity. However…  What if you were told that you had to focus MORE attention to what your strengths and build upon those instead?

Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath is [Read more…]

How to Make and Use Your Own Milk Paint

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milk paint table

If you were to take a look at my Pinterest account  (and I surely hope you do “My One and Only Home” but-of-course,) you’d see quite a few Pins involving milk paint. With milk paint you get a broad spectrum of furniture finishes that incorporate incredibly well into styles from Country French to Modern Rustic.  There a few pieces that I own that have been waiting for their moment to shine and the treatment milk paint gives would [Read more…]

Family Message Center

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Our 2nd home is quite different from our Jefferson St. house.  We basically could move in all our belongings and enjoy it,  unlike the Jefferson house that took a few years (and a few $) to make it what we wanted.  However, one area we noticed was missing from our new home was a location to keep our calendar, notes, invitations, and school papers.  We picked the wall in between the kitchen and powder room because its a nice central spot for my family.

I first did some research on Pinterest to [Read more…]

5 Ways to Spend Less and Save More Money

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Cutting down my spending because a requirement recently. As such, I really started trying new and old ways to cut down on how much I spend every month.

My spending behavior was already frugal, I thought.  That is until I started really looking into ways to cut my expenses further and not compromise my family’s needs and lifestyle.   At first it was tough.  Then I really started getting into the groove of finding new ways to buy for less.  With the help and advise from my friends and a little research I found new ways to buy what [Read more…]

Make a Magnetic Chalkboard Wall

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Magnetic Chalkboard Wall

I had been putting it off for a while, but this was the weekend to make a magnetic chalkboard wall in the kitchen.  My kids Bubbe pointed out one day that this spot in our kitchen would be perfect if it had magnetic walls.

The old owners of our house were wine enthusiast and had a little alcove built into their kitchen for a beautiful rod iron wine rack that housed many a bottles of vino.  When they moved out they took that wine rack with them.  We were left with a tall and very narrow nook in our kitchen which houses our garbage can.  Did I mention that there is a spot light in there too – fancy garbage can location.

Over time I started decorating the nook with my children’s artwork.  It is a great place to rotate art and display their latest projects which they proudly point out to friends and guests who visit our home.

My husband was taking the kids over to the local nursing home where we volunteer, so I had three free hours!

The walls were already clean, so first I taped off the area and laid down some old t-shirts to keep splatters from landing on the floor and baseboard.

Next I put on disposable gloves – buy a lot.  The magnetic paint is [Read more…]

Forty Days of Lent Clean Out

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Old shoes

A few years ago I read an amazing blog about a woman who took the time during Lent to remove excess from her life by loading forty bags (over forty days) worth of items from her house to donate or toss. Immediately I loved this concept. I am always looking at a way to connect to this time, but never was one to be successful in giving up something during the Lenten season.  There is so much “stuff” in my life that I knew I needed to really evaluate and eliminate.  So I decided to take on a similar task in removing items from my home during Lent. This physical removal of clutter was so eye opening and connected me to the fact that there are many others who could benefit from the items I just hold on to.  An old winter coat, a collection of used baby items, even old scrap metal can be of more use to someone else.

This is what I do, I have a pad of paper I got in the dollar bin at Target [Read more…]

Packed Lunches Made Simple

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Packed Lunches Made Simple

Sunday night is when I used to start mumbling about the lunches I need to pack for the next 5 days.  Aggh, I need to get the lunch box packed!

Its certainly not a hard tasking, and I only have one school-ager right now.  All I need to accomplish is making a kid-friendly sandwich and rounding out the meal with healthy sides and a drink, but it is ALWAYS a pain. I didn’t really understand why this task drove me nuts until one night I realized it took me at least 15 minutes every school night to make a packed lunch. That is when I took matters in to my own hands.

I started prepping. Sunday night pull out five sandwich tubs, a loaf of bread, my peanut butter and jelly and a [Read more…]

5 Ways to Get Books Free

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5 ways to get books free
I just can’t help myself. Its is not uncommon for me to read a few books a month with many many more waiting for me. One reason is because I belong to two book club groups and one of them I happen to be leading this year.

My book reading hobby has been an expense in the past, especially since I love a real hardcover book, and those are not cheap.  After buying my first house, having a few children, and running out of bookshelf space I have changed my ways.  There are plenty of ways to buy books on the cheap, here are some ways to get books free. [Read more…]

Outdoor Halloween Decor Ideas on a Budget

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Halloween

When I was in college I was probably the most creative I have ever been on coming up with ways to decorate for the many different holidays.  Some of the best ways to decorate a house with almost $0 money involved construction paper, markers, and scissors.  As much as I loved those days, and will probably write a post at some point about the talented no-cost college holiday decor, here are some ideas for Halloween decor ideas on a budget. [Read more…]

5 Reasons to Buy Furniture Online

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online furniture

I am an advocate for buying online, however the task of buying furniture online can sound a little intimidating.  When it comes to furniture you know you are not only going to sink cost into your purchase if you want something nice, but you also know that you have a list of expectations like comfort, style, and quality.  Have no fear, this may shock you, but buying furniture online is not as risky as it sounds.

Way back in 2000 I used to use this very new website called Overstock.com for purchase of  non digital camera and new duvet comforter.  I recall the reaction from my colleuges when I told them I purchased a camera from a new website, it was as if I went on a date with a publicly known serial killer.   In all seriousness, the idea of purchasing this expensive item online raised eyebrows.

Fast forward to now.  I bank online, I pay bills on line, and I continue to buy consumer goods online.   Here are 5 reasons to buy furniture Online. [Read more…]

Ideas for Leftover Apples

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Apple ideas

I face this dilemma each and every Fall after I have gotten extra zealous with my apple purchases. There are so many great varieties to try its hard to resist the urge to buy some new ones to try. Although tart Granny Smith is my preferred choice, I am particular to a seasonal Zestar variety we pick up at Ten Ecyk Apple Orchard in Brodhead, WI. Family-owned since 1839, this beautiful farm is worth visiting for its wide-variety of apples, over 50, being harvested each year.

So what to with all those leftover apples?  The ideas are endless, here are some [Read more…]