Bathrooms, as with every other room in a house, should be themed since it offers the space a mood and brings your personality to your little corner of the world. It is where you can state, by design, what is most important to you. There are hundreds of design subjects to choose from, including country, dolls, sea life or even villas on the Mediterranean. The decision is yours, so choose the theme that you desire. It is a good idea to choose a theme that matches, or at least correlates with other design styles in your house. By doing so, it will not be overly busy, or out of tune with other areas of the home.

Bathrooms in numerous older houses were put in as an afterthought and are literally converted closets in some cases. If you are unfortunate enough to have a modest bathroom, you can still decorate to give the illusion of space by utilizing the right colors. Just be aware that with a small bathroom, less is frequently more. Both paint and paper work well although, in a small space, apply neutral colors either on one wall or as an accent on a chair rail. If you decide on conventional white paint or wallpaper, it is a simple matter of accenting with color using any of the myriad of decor accessories. Items like baskets, framed prints, sea shells, throw rugs and even window dressings will all add colorful emphases without going overboard.

If you opt to put plants in your bathroom, then the ideal paper or paint color to set them off is a warm rust tone. You will however need to select your plants wisely because many will not suffer the warm steamy atmosphere or the various chemicals contained in the likes of hairspray, deodorants and perfumes used in bathrooms. The residues from these products will eventually stick to the leaves and the plants will end up on the compost heap. Provided that you have a big enough bathroom, you could hang plants from the ceiling. Or else, on the back of the lavatory is another good position. If your tub is the type with a wide rim, try putting miniature plants around the outside and set them off with ornamental baskets and soaps.

Another important aspect when decorating your bathroom are the towels and rugs. Deep plush or hand woven rugs bring a feeling of elegance. Even So, take care when placing rugs on slippery bathroom vinyl flooring because a nasty fall can be a consequence. Look for rugs that have a lined backing of rubber to prevent falls. You can coordinate the rugs with the bathroom mat in alternate or matching colors as well. Using different textures that match your theme will give the bathroom a little additional feeling of warmth. Never think you are limited on textures since when they are combined with a neutral backdrop, they make a bathroom homely and inviting to be in.

Towel racks are another way to apply a little pizzazz to your bathroom. Decorative racks with colorful towels make a bathroom stand out. You can get towel racks in assorted tones of wood, bronze, silver or gold. Many people paint their own wooden racks, and match their baskets and picture frames with them.

Bathroom lighting is just as important as the decoration and accessories. In fact, lighting can make or break the mood of any room. Because water and electricity do not mix very well, your initial consideration must be safety. If you have children in the house, I would advise that all lighting should be fixed and inaccessible to small wet hands. That aside however, you can leave night lights on when the bathroom is not being used and if counter top space allows, a small lamp. You can then fit lamp shades that match your overall theme.

Finally, take time and read a couple of decorating books on bathrooms. Look at their designs and see the many unusual ways to theme your bathroom. Utilize their designs for inspiration so your own imaginative juices will get flowing. It is okay to be uniquely you when decorating your bathroom, so go for it! You will never know what other themes take your fancy until you check them out when attempting to decorate your bathroom at home.

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It’s been about two months now (Holy Jersey Cow! Thats quite a while!) and I haven’t heard them go off once! I admit, I began to wonder if the Claybrooks really had been telling the truth. (Haha, just kidding) They mentioned that if the oven was ever used, or if the toaster was ever used, then the Smoke Detectors would go off. (Let’s just say, my Toast and Jelly days were finally over, just because I’m too afraid to use the toaster)

Then the other thing about the Smoke Detectors: They are all linked. If one of them goes off then they all go off. It’s like when a baby cries during the Sunday meeting. When one starts, they all start. And before you know it the entire congregation is crying. Even the ones that aren’t children. -Or like when you yawn. If a person sees you or hears you or even thinks about yawning, they unavoidably, without fail yawn too. How bizarre is that!?

So, the chocolate muffins were made and divided up into their own little hole, then placed in the oven to cook. After about ten minutes or so Melinda asked me, very serious, I might add, if I was ready. I had to ask why.

“Because,” she said handing me a checkered hand towel with an earnest look, “I’m going to open up the oven and the Smoke Alarm is going to go off.”

I took the hand towel slowly from her grasp and remained in the hallway, just under the small white sensor pressed against the ceiling, while she disappeared into the kitchen.

“Okay!” she hollered. “I’m opening the oven!”

Quick as a flash Melinda opened the oven and quick as a flash she yanked the muffins from the depths of the oven. (She did it so fast, in fact, that on the last round, more than half the muffins fell to the ground. It was really rather funny. I laugh just thinking about it! Of course, they’re were only three muffins in the pan to begin with, but hey, it was still more than half)

I remained under the detector watching as Melinda worked. So far the alarm hadn’t gone off and I was beginning to wonder if it ever would. I guess I wasn’t too surprised when it finally did. (Beep! Beep! Beep!) I was a little busy laughing at folly’s to fan the smoke away. Melinda came round bopped me lightly on the head with another towel and started whipping away the smoke from around the abhorrent sphere.

Although I had plenty of good laughs at this small act, I was a little disappointed that I had not been entreated to the full effect. The alarm only went off twice. The other detectors in the house hadn’t had a chance to go off yet. Oh well. I’d like to say simply, “better luck next time” but somehow that doesn’t seem to fit right. Oh well.

When we were each done eating our muffins (which turned out rather well, if I do say so myself) we decided on a couple of things. The house, for one, is a boy. The car, however, is a girl. The car is a girl simply because she has her days of when she feels like starting or not. Plus, it just looks like a girl. Then the house is a boy because, as Melinda put it, “It makes weird noises.” And it does. Really. Whenever I find myself home alone, the house makes the strangest of sounds. There are times I even think that I’m not alone, because it makes so much noise. We also decided that the smoke detectors alone aren’t really a he or a she. They’re just an “it“.

So yeah. That’s how my day went. Interesting hu? ….yeah, you’re right. It was actually very boring….Oh well. That’s life!

I guess the lesson to be learned here is that the unpredictabilities of life are indeed very unpredictable. Strange things can happen and quite often do. …-Oh, and another lesson is that you should always have a towel handy when cooking muffins. You wouldn’t want to disturb the neighbors or give yourself a heart attack.

Julia Willis

Now before you think I some kind of Christmas scrooge, let me say that I really love Christmas, but every year it goes like this: We bundle up our little tots and stuff them into our oh-so-cool minivan to cart them to Grandma’s house. There, they load up on sugar and beverages (not the best combination) and open so many huge presents that their heads are about to explode. Somehow, even though we have instituted the gift exchange rule, it never seems to work. There are weird exclusions for the youngest members of the family and they get way more than their share of the loot.

Then it’s time to go and we have to try and figure out how to fit ten pounds of potatoes in a five pound sack in order to make it back home. The kids are so overwhelmed with stuff and they really would be just as happy with one or two special gifts.

Now I know that there is no way I am going to convince all the doting grandmas and aunts of the world not to buy gifts for their special little ones, so I beg you, stick with the shoe box rule. I have no more room for giant castles, enormous plastic furniture, or life-size anything. Please.