Easy Steps to Get Ready for a Garden Party

No, we can’t say “Just buy all of the plants.”

It's the end of spring, and things are heating up. People are planning garden parties, barbecues, and pool parties every weekend between now and September. Preparing for an outdoor party isn't just about the food and who you will invite, though. Much of it takes planning well in advance. And yes, you can just have people come and go and do all the work for you, but sometimes you want to do the work yourself.  You've got to plan out the garden, patio with seating and arrangements, the grill, and then all the food. Fortunately, you're not alone in this, and we can help. 

Courtesy of ThorstenF

Cleaning up the outdoors

Garden

Let's get started then with your garden. Take a look around, and consider where it is now and where you want it to be before guests come. Is it at that point? If so, feel free to skip this! If not, let's dig in. 

By this point in the year, you've probably got weeds coming up in between your bricks and cement as well as in your garden beds. Start with applying a layer of borax in between all of the cracks and let it sit for an hour or so.  While that is going, let's tend to your garden beds and get those weed-free. Make sure that as you pull, you've got a basket to toss them into; this way, they don't get left in the beds to regrow or drop seeds. When you're done with that, it should be time to hit the bricks with your vacuum and gather up all of the borax. Once you've gathered it all up, go ahead and grab your powerwasher. At this point, the weeds are very much dead, and all you need to do is blast them out of existence, so you might as well use the time to give your pathways a scrubbing as well. From here, you can move on to your patio or deck and get rid of the grime for winter. As a last spot, let's go ahead and give the doors coming out onto the patio a quick cleaning. Make sure to pay attention the sills and door frame, as dirt loves to build up there. 

Now that everything's looking nice and shiny, let's talk about plants. Do you have any that you've been meaning to add to your garden but haven't gotten to? Have you read our article about dry gardens and been thinking about trying that out? Now's the time to do it.  Do you have a particular theme that you want your garden to reflect? Or maybe you just want it to be a colorful riot. Whatever it is, it's sure to be the talk of the party. 

Courtesy of Carmen

Patio 

Once you've gotten everything cleaned up and your garden sorted, you've got a blank canvas to work from when it comes to planning the party itself. Use this time to think about seating arrangements, cover from the sun, and where you'll have food. Take time to consider how people will move through the space as well. There's nothing worse than having everything become crowded and jumbled because people can't move easily from one area to the next.  Once you've got, it worked out, go ahead and sketch out a plan for it so that you know when you're laying things out later on. 

You've done the hardest part; now, let's jump back into some cleaning. 

While ideally, you'll want to clean your patio furniture at the beginning and end of the season, it's handy to keep some heavy-duty cleaning wipes in a storage area so that you can spot clean as it's needed.  For your furniture, we suggest grabbing your vacuum and using the soft bristle brush to go over everything, to gather up dust and pollen and any debris from your weeding earlier. If you've got wicker furniture, you can tackle that with a kitchen cabinet cleaner. It'll clean away messes without leaving residue or stripping off the varnish from your furniture. You can use a couch protecting spray on your cushions, arm rests, and pillows either just after you take them out of storage for the season or after washing them. It'll protect them from stains and make wiping them clean easier later. 

It's a good idea to invest in some blankets for benches and coordinating table clothes to create a warm, relaxing feeling for your guests the day of the party. Plus, if you choose the right type of blankets (something in cotton or linen), it can help with keeping people cool. Which, given the Texas heat, we could all use.) 

You'll also want to pick up different lights and test them out during the planning stages. Fairy lights are easy to come by, and they create a soft glowing atmosphere while also marking out areas guests can go and can't. Small lanterns on tables can provide pools of light, and if you use citronella oil inside them, you can protect your guests from pests as well. 

Courtesy of daniellam

Setting Up Indoors

Celebrate! You've gotten your outdoor area all set up, and now it's time for the last stage, cleaning up and organizing indoors. 

Let's start by giving everything a good scrub. We're not talking about the usual cleaning up spills and crumbs; we're talking about making sure everything is shiny for guests. Put away any of your small appliances that you won't be using the day of the party. (This is when having an "appliance garage" is fantastic, in our opinion.) You want to make sure that you have enough room for all of your food, dishes, cutlery etc. You also want to make sure that you've got separation space between your food prep area and your serving area. Ideally, this will be prepping in the kitchen and serving outside, but due to heat, bugs, etc, you don't always want to do things that way.  You want to make sure that if you're cooking on a grill outside that, you also have a clear separation between food prep and serving. Nothing is worse than making some delicious burgers and getting everyone sick because you put them onto the same platter you brought the raw meat out on.  

Speaking of your grill, this is a good time to go over it. Is it clean? Have you cleaned out any built-up ashes, fat, gunk, etc? Are the grates clean? Have you made sure that you have enough of your fuel of choice and that the grill itself is sound and whole? Better to check these things now, rather than right before the party when you won't have time to fix it. 

With all of that taken care of, all that's left is to enjoy the day of the event. Spent time with friends and family, enjoy the food you've made and your garden, and relax, knowing you made all of it happen. It's not always easy to put together a garden party, but it is so worth it for the memories we get to share. 

If you do have a party at some point over the weekend, let us know on Facebook and share the photos! We'd love to see what you got up to.

If you wound up here not because you're looking at willingly using your grill but are doing so because your stove quit on you, well, we can still offer help. Believe it or not but we specialize not in organizing backyard parties but in repairing your major appliances. Whether you live in McKinney or Dallas, Coppel or Garland, we have you covered. You can reach out to us on our website or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). We'll work with you to find a time that fits your schedule so that we can get your home running smoothly again. 

4 Kits Your Home Needs

The Bare Bones For Your Home

We put together four kits that will get you through almost any situation. When you’re starting out somewhere new you don’t always have everything you need, or the funds to get it. Whether you’re a business exec moving to a new state or fresh out of college with your first apartment, you tend to pare down. Whether it’s a last minute get together, a broken outlet, or you cut yourself fixing said outlet, we’ve got you covered. 

Let’s talk about the most common type of kit first, the first aid kit. 

Ideally, you should have several around your home. This way in the event of injury you don’t have to go far for what you need. Some of these, like bandaids, are going to make sense. Others, like splint material will confuse many. “We live in the first world. Shouldn’t I just go to the hospital or call an ambulance?”

Well, ideally, yes. What if it’s a major holiday though? Or there’s rough weather, you can’t get out or it’s going to be a while until a paramedic can get to you? In those cases it’s better to have all of this on hand and know how to use it. 

One last one you might not have run into before is lavender essential oil. This can be used on burns and other small wounds, and is kept in many a metalworker’s kit. 

FIRST AID KIT 

Aloe vera gel

Medical Scissors

Nonadhesive dressing

Medical tape

Rolled gauze bandages

Splint material

Lavender oil 

Anti-inflamatory drugs

Anti-bacterial ointment

Ace bandages

Surgical scrub brush

Disinfectant wipes

Sterile compress

Selection of bandages

TOOL LIST

Next up is tools. This isn’t the type of stuff you get for Father’s day.  This is meant to be a “multipurpose, used everywhere around the house, if you don’t have the ‘right’ tool, see if one of the others will get the job done.” That sort of kit. (Not that we have any issues with the nicer or more specific tools, but this is a basics post. 

Screwdriver set - a mix of Philips and flat-heads, or even a multihead screwdriver. 

Tool box- Even if it’s a small kit, it's easier if you can keep everything together. 

Utility knife

Putty knife

Handsaw

Level

Adjustable wrench

Hammers - One 16 lb claw and a small mallet

Duct tape

Pliers - You can pick up a set with a channellock, needle nose and side cutting pretty easy. 

Flashlight

Stud finder

Socket set 

Tape measurer 

The Kitchen

Moving into the kitchen, we have more tools, but this time, we’re focused on making food. While we love our specialty tools like our automatic pan stirrers, crepe pans and multi function blenders, in truth you don’t need them. We know, the horror. Really though, with these 10 tools and persistence, you can make any dish. Is it easy? Not always. But you’ll also have less clutter in your kitchen. 

10” Stainless Steel Skillet

Chef’s Knife

Measuring Spoons

Dry & Liquid Measuring cups

Cutting Board

Sheet Tray

8 Quart Heavy Pot

Peeler -  Either a Y peeler or a straight peeler will work. It’s up to you which you prefer. 

Large Spoon 

Fine Mesh 6” Sieve 

The Pantry

Moving on from the tools in the kitchen, you have basic supplies. We saved this list for two reasons: 

1. It’s the longest

2. It’s broken into 4 parts

The idea here is that by keeping all of these items regularly stocked in your home, you can put your hands on any of them when you need them. Last minute guests? No big deal, bulk up what you were already making for dinner. Your child has a bake sale that they only told you about now? Easy!

Things like fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy and meats aren’t included because they spoil at different rates, and everyone has different food needs. Adjust the lists as needed and as will work for you/your family. 

Common/ Dried	Baking	Herbs and Oils	Freezer
Pasta	Baking Soda	Vegetable Oil	Frozen Spinach
Tomato Sauce	Baking Powder	Coconut Oil	Frozen Green Beans
Lentils	Cornstarch	Canola Oil	Frozen Peas
Peanut Butter	Brown Sugar	Olive Oil	Frozen Corn
Canned Soup	White Sugar	Dried Onion	Frozen Carrots
Potatoes	Shortening	Whole Pepper	Frozen Broccoli
Canned beans	Chocolate Chips	Garlic Powder
Rice	Flour	Basil
Canned Chicken	Yeast	Oregano
Mixed Nuts	Cornmeal	Dill
Cereals & Oatmeal		Paprika
Canned Mushrooms		Celery Seed
Canned Broth		Sea Salt
Mixed nuts		Cinnamon
Dried fruit		Chili powder
		Basil
		Cayenne
		Vanilla Extract
		Cocoa Powder
		Cumin

Common/Dried - These are the foods that will last and last and with just a  few you can throw together a delicious and filling meal.

Baking- These are the core ingredients for most baking recipes that you should always have on hand. 

Herbs and Oils - You don’t need a large amount of herbs in your cabinet in order to bring flavor to your dishes. With 16 spices you can evoke flavors and places all over the globe. (Although we get it if you want to add to your spices any time you can. We do the same.) 

Freezer- Easy to keep on hand, they don’t spoil and you can bulk up any meal  by adding them in, frozen veggies are the best! 

These four kits are ones we think are essential, but what about you? Do you think we missed some? Or just an item or two? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook. We’d love to hear from you. 

While we talked about the whole home this time, don’t forget that we’re also here for your appliances needs. If your  appliances are acting up, or you want to schedule a maintenance check, feel free to reach out via phone or our appointment page. We want to help all of our clients in Carrollton and the surrounding areas.

How to Prep Your Home Before You Go Away for Vacation

Is it just us or is Texas miserable in the summer? We want to go on vacation and get out of the heat! But your home needs to be prepped before you go on vacation, especially if it’s for longer than a few days. There’s so much to do between planning the trip and packing that we put together a checklist. You can print it out to go step by step over how to prep your appliances, home and security before you leave. 

Outline: 

Prepping Your House

Security Set Up

Take It Easy When You Get Back 

Prepping Your House

- You want to start by making sure that your home is prepped if you’re going away for more than 3 or 4 days. 

- Whether it’s winter or summer, start by putting your water heater on vacation mode. 

- Turn off the valves that lead to your dishwasher, washing machine and sink. It can’t leak if the valves are off! 

- Unplug what doesn’t need to be on. 

TVs, computers, game systems, sound systems, etc. These don’t need to be plugged in if there’s no one home to use them, right? And why rack up the electric bill if you aren’t using it? 

- Take a moment before you leave to check your smoke detectors. This way, if the worst happens your neighbors will hear. Or if you have newer models, the fire department and your security company will be alerted. 

- Run a  half cup of vinegar through your garbage disposal to make sure you don’t come back to a rank miasma. 

- On that note, empty out your fridge and cabinets of anything that is set to expire while you’re gone. You don’t have to throw it out, just make sure to eat it or give it away. You can also see if any of the foods could be made into freezer stable foods if you aren’t keen to give away food. 

- Set your thermostat to a more neutral set of temperatures. Maybe 80s if its summer or 50s if it’s winter. Again, this saves you money, while still keeping your home at temps that won’t destroy furniture or other elements of your home. 

Setting Up Security 

- Engage a friend or neighbor to come and stay over a few hours a day, park their car in your driveway, water the plants, feed your pets, etc. 

- Call your home security and tell them you’re going out of town and if you have anyone that’s coming to check on the house. 

- If you don’t have anyone to check on your house, make sure to call and delay your mail and your newspaper. Piles of newspapers, mail and packages are a clear sign that no one has been home for a while. 

- Another way to avoid that is to park your car in the garage while you’re gone. Or if you’ve transformed your garage into a  shop or a bedroom, you can park your car at a storage lot for the duration. 

- Set up an ‘at home’ routine with your lights. With the benefit of smart tech, you can schedule your lights at different times to mimic your usual routine. It could look something like this at night.

Kitchen: Come on 7 and go for 30 minutes 

Dining room: Lights turn on at 7:25 and go for 1 hour

Living room: Lights turn on at 8:30 and run for 1 hour. 

Bedroom: Lights turn on at 9:30 and then run for 1 hour. 

- If you want to get really clever you could even create multiple routines for different days. 

- One last night on security. Make sure that all of your windows are closed and latched, even the upstairs ones. Keys to your doors definitely shouldn’t be somewhere obvious like under the doormat or on a  windowsill. Make sure that your garage is locked as well.

Take It Easy When You Get Back 

- You’re going away on vacation, the last thing you want to worry about when you get back is cleaning. The simplest answer then is either to schedule a top to bottom cleaning. Alternatively, do one yourself before you leave if you don’t want someone going all over while you’re gone. 

- Take out all of the trash. Kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, office. Get rid of it. Coming back to your house after a vacation and finding squatter rodents is not someone anyone wants. 

- Do your laundry, especially if it’s summer. Coming home to find that you have get right into the humdrum of doing laundry is the worst. And if you do it beforehand you can…

- Plan clothes ahead of time. We don’t mean for your vacation. We know you’re already daydreaming about that.Studies have shown it can take a least a week for most people to get back into things after being gone for more than a few days.  So we’re suggesting that you lay out a week’s worth of clothes for when you get back. This way you can keep yourself focused on getting back into the routine, without feeling overwhelmed. 

- Now that you have your house prepped and secure, you can go on your vacation!

Go and enjoy, and tell us what you get up to while you’re out of town. You can do that, or ask any questions you might have on our Facebook page. 

If you want to download the checklist, here you go.  

And if the worst happens while you’re gone and some of your appliances start acting up, you can always call us at ((214) 599-0055), or go to our webpage to set up an appointment.