Couple Finds Thousands While Renovating Their Home

If you ever needed an excuse to remodel your home, here’s one: couple found thousands of dollars in the floorboards while renovating a home. They have been remodeling houses for 13 years. Their company, Accessible Homes, remodels homes for people with disabilities. I couldn’t have happened to a better company.

“We looked through it,” Rasmussen said of finding the money while renovating an accessible home for a nonprofit Thursday. “It’s $20s and $50s, I’d say $30,000. Maybe more.”

“When we opened up the floor there’s a heat duct that was run under the floor,” Rasmussen said. “And so someone previously must have gone into the utility room and thrown the money up on top of that duct. Pretty crazy.”

“It’s hard to process that amount of cash just laying around, and no one knew existed,” he added. “Well, someone knew, but forgot about.”

The house is owned by Bethesda, a non for profit that provides housing and services for people developmental disabilities. The money is going to help their organization make a difference in people’s lives.

source: http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/couple-finds-thousands-in-cash-under-the-floorboards-during-home-renovation

Transform Your Bathroom into a Luxurious Spa Experience

Transform Your Bathroom into a Luxurious Spa Experience

Can you imagine just how perfect it would be if you could enjoy a relaxing spa experience every day? Well, if you want it, you don’t have to dream it. You just need to go for it. And if this is something that feels like it would better your life considerably, investing your time, money and energy into creating a perfect bathroom spa experience in your own home is well worth it. Even more so if you live in a tropical climate such as Australia where taking the time for a shower or bath is true bliss. But, regardless of where you are in the world, bathroom time is your quality “alone” time and you deserve to make it truly special. So, what’s the secret to your own bathroom spa? Keep on reading to find out.

1. Take care of the colors

First things first: you need to create a relaxing atmosphere in your bathroom. This is one of the simple tricks that you can use even when you’re not ready to invest in your plumbing. In general, spa colors involve soothing neutral colors such as white and beige. You can’t go wrong with these. But before you decide to go in this direction, take the time to think about the colors that soothe you the most. While you should always go with gentle pastel hues, you may find that green, pink, yellow or blue work better for you.

2. Incorporate natural elements

This is where things can get more complicated. But, if you want a perfect bathroom spa in your own home, wood and stone should be a part of it. Wooden elements and stone countertops don’t have to be too challenging if you know what kind of a layout you want. In recent years, Zen-inspired bathrooms have been all the rage in Australia, which is why it’s not that difficult to imagine the best ways to incorporate these elements into your bathroom. In the end, waterproof vinyl wallpaper that imitates wood and stone can be your budget-friendly option. Also, let your creativity run wild. It’s not just about the countertops and shelves. A wooden bench or a similar seating arrangement inside a bathroom is definitely spa-like.

3. The real deal – plumbing

If you’re set on transforming your bathroom into a spa oasis completely, you’ll definitely need to invest more time and money into this project. Essentially, plumbing will be your biggest concern. But, as mentioned, the whole country of Oz fell in love with Zen-inspired bathrooms years ago, which is why you can have a professional service for plumbing in Gold Coast get this done for you. You may want to transform your shower area by making it bigger with proper seating and side table, or you may want to have a whole new spa tub installed. Just make sure to consult with your contractors in order to find the best possible option for your space. 

4. Get rid of the clutter in favor of plants and candles

It’s important to know what your bathroom spa essentials are. You can’t possibly relax properly if there’s clutter everywhere, and especially half-empty bath products you never use. It’s time for a thorough declutter. Get rid of everything you don’t use. The whole point is to keep only those products that you love and that make you happy when you use them. Also, organize them so that you can keep them on display and easily reachable. On the other hand, don’t hesitate to enrich this space with real greenery. There are plenty of plants that thrive in bathrooms. Of course, don’t forget a scented candle here and there.

5. Play with the details

Details are very important for the perfect bathroom spa experience. Just like plants and candles, these can make or break the whole project. In that respect, embrace natural light and openness and ditch the curtains altogether. You want to achieve that warm, relaxing look of a spa with the mentioned natural elements but opting for warm (perhaps bronze or rose gold) pipe and plumbing finishes can look absolutely amazing. Furthermore, a bathroom mat that matches the overall style will add much-needed texture to this room. And if you want, you can add more personality with the use of patterned vinyl wallpaper in strategic places or with an interesting mirror frame. 

While there are some general guidelines for creating a home bathroom spa, the important thing is to always follow your intuition and stick with the theme that helps you relax the most. The concept of self-care is very important in Australia, and it’s time for you to embrace it wholeheartedly. 

Guest Contributor, Diana Smith

What Do You Do If You Run Out Of Toilet Paper In A Public Restroom?

What do you do if you run out of toilet paper in a public restroom? 

It’s not your day. Nothing seems to go right. Your boss is on your butt about God knows what. You couldn’t get any sleep last night, because your spouse’s snoring is so bad that you’re considering committing murder, something simple not too messy. So, you decide to run to Dunkin Donuts, because coffee just makes everything better, after catching your breath you ask the nice lady for a large coffee. She looks at you, she can tell this isn’t your day.

“Sir, we are making a fresh batch as we speak. Unfortunately, two of our machines are down”.

“Oh no, how could this happen? How does Dunkin Donuts actually run out of coffee?”

As I originally said, it’s not your day. You go on to work and get nothing done because you can’t function correctly. As you’re trying to wrap up your day you run into the bathroom and do your duty. You are in such a rush that you aren’t paying attention. Disastrously, there isn't any toilet paper. Ouch! You start to panic. 

What are you supposed to do? Look around, what would Macgyver do?

1.     Neighbor- if there's someone in the stall next to you, ask them to spare some toilet paper. If there's anybody in the bathroom, hopefully washing their hands, asked them to grab you a roll from the other stall. 

2.     Empty Bathroom- if the restroom is empty, get up, and hurry over to the next stall before someone sees you with your pants down. 

3.     Phone a Friend- if you're at a work/restaurant/bar, more than likely you're with someone. Use your life line, they might give you crap about it, but who cares. You need that toilet paper.

4.     Call the Establishment- If you’re at work, someone must be around to help. If you’re out at a restaurant, call the host and tell them what’s going on. They will come save the day. They might even feel bad for you and offer you a beer on the house. 

5.     Purse/Wallet- look inside your purse or wallet for napkins, tissues, receipts, business cards, if you're desperate use some singles. 

6.     Socks- use one sock to wipe and the other one to wrap and toss away. Don't you dare flush it. 

7.     Underwear- would you rather have underwear on or a clean bum? 

8.     Scarf/Gloves/Hat- this is a hit or miss. Depending on weather, if you’re wearing any of it.

9.     Extra Shirt- depending on the season, you might have an extra shirt on. Cut your losses and use it.

10.  Toilet Paper Cardboard- this will hurt, but it seems like you have no other option. I don't even think this will work, but you're obviously somewhere were you're not wearing socks, underwear, or have an extra shirt. For the first time in your life, you're using the bathroom without your phone. You don't have any friends and nothing is going your way. 

If you're a guest at someone's house, please just swallow your pride and ask for toilet paper. If they don't have any, ask for newspaper. No matter what, your day can’t get any worse.