Valentine’s Day Celebration Ideas!

By Mikes Furniture

Valentine’s Day is coming… This could be the worst day if you are one of those who have been desperately looking for a soulmate or can’t stand to be alone. Well, if you haven’t found a soulmate to take you out for a romantic dinner and don’t know how to spend it, here are some great suggestions! In a couple or as a single, it’s doesn’t matter; Valentine’s Day should be the day to show the most of your love. We can start by showing love to someone around us (family, friends, pets…). This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a weekend, so you shouldn’t run out of time and wind up organizing something at the last minute. Here are some original ideas to show your love:

Host a brunch! Invite all your beloved ones- family and/or friends to share the first meal of the day. It is always easier to organize a last-minute brunch- no need to cook a huge variety of dishes, that way you save time on grocery shopping. Besides, most of the time you already have the majority of the ingredients at hand in your home (coffee, tea, eggs, flour, tomato, bacon and bread!)

Our special, for ladies ….Take time to pamper the ones that carried you before you were walking- your Feet! Organize a pedicure or spa afternoon with your friends. On the agenda, you can expect: a relaxing moment, some pedicure/foot massage with almond oil and lots of laughs.

  

Activities with Kids. Bake cookies that they can share with their friends. Kids would love to decorate their cookies; a funny moment guaranteed!

End your day festively! Host a cocktail party at home with some friends. While drinking alcohol, don’t forget that you will be working the day after so drink moderately!

There are plenty other ways to celebrate love on Valentine’s Day…yet, you should try to extend them to the rest of year not only on the 14^th. Happy Valentine’s Day! 

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How to Spend Martin Luther King Day

By Mikes Furniture

Everybody has dreams, right? And what if they come true? Martin Luther King Jr, a civil-rights activist had one some years ago, where all Americans, regardless of their background and cultural diversity would become equal.

As we celebrate Martin Luther King’s holiday on January 18^th; we should continue to put this dream of a “better world” into practice by:

1-     Take the opportunity to give some of your time as a volunteer in citizen action groups

2-     Spend quality time with your family and kids. What a great lesson it is to teach them what this day symbolizes and have them share their own dreams!

3-     Bring a bit of culture diversity to your ears by going to live-music tributes or listen to readings!

4-     Watch parades or go to museum exhibits; most of them are free on that day!

5-     Make a holiday dinner featuring cuisine from different countries or regions.

Whether you're a dreamer or hope to achieve a cleaner environment, a better dish, or the perfect tea party, this holiday should inspire you to move forward with your aspirations. With or without kids, appreciate the most of the diversity on this day.

Happy Martin Luther King Holiday!

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Throw a Last-Minute Halloween Party

By Mike's Furniture

Halloween is just around the corner. Are you a busy bee who can barely find the time to brush your hair, let alone plan a Halloween party? Then you`ve fallen on the golden goose of party ideas for the procrastinator.  So feast your eyes on these 3 simple steps!

Step 1: Set a date

First and foremost, set a date, compile a list of guests and give them a call. Make sure you nip this in the bud right away! In order to entice your guests to come to your spooktacular party, mention there will be fun games, special treats and a costume contest! Keep in mind that not everyone is comfortable with dressing up. Word to the wise; add that this is optional.

Step 2 – Decorate your home inside & out

Get ready to have a frightfully good time by prepping your home inside and out to celebrate in style! Here`s a list of thrilling decoration ideas to inspire you:

Outside:

1)      Transform the front yard into a graveyard.

2)      Board the windows

3)      Put a condemned notice on your front door. Try to make it look aged (you can do this by sponging a bit or tea or coffee onto the paper).

4)      Go crazy with some caution tape – this will give your guests the impression that your home is abandoned and unsafe… maybe even haunted.

Inside:

1)      Add as many candles as possible, especially if you have a visible staircase. To avoid a fire hazard, you can purchase battery operated candles at the dollar store. You can always use real candles in jars for extra precaution.

2)      Cover your furniture with drop-cloths or sheets. Nothing says condemned like a house full of covered furniture!

3)      Change the light bulbs for some vintage colored ones, to create a dim atmosphere.

4)      Spider webs – if your house is going to look condemned, don`t forget spider webs!

  

Step 3 – Entertainment

Entertainment, entertainment, entertainment!  A successful party has great entertainment and treats to go along with it. I mean, let`s face it. No one wants to see their guests yawning and looking at their watches. Here are some great ideas to keep the party going:

1)      Halloween charades.  You can find free printables on Pinterest.

2)     Murder Mystery Game. Good news – you have access to free murder mystery games online, complete with character descriptions and scripts, so your guests will dive into the game.

3)      Halloween movie trivia. If you`re a horror movie buff, and so is your circle of friends, then this is the game for you. Again, this is another frugal game idea. Yes, horror movie trivia quizzes can also be found online.

4)      Last, but not least, the costumes contest. The pinnacle of your party is the contest. Make sure to take the time to vote on whose costume won the challenge. To add a little excitement, throw in a prize. It doesn`t have to be anything pricy. A candy loot bag can do the trick!

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Getting Ready For Halloween

By Mike's Furniture

October has come fast and Halloween will be here before you know it. Get ready for a frightfully good time by prepping the house early so you can celebrate in style.

 

Decorate inside and out

Make your house “spooktacular!” Surprise trick-or-treaters on your doorstep with thrilling decorations, homemade or store bought. Here’s a perfect opportunity to get the kids involved. For example, transform your front yard into a haunted graveyard. Headstones can be set up with bones laid out and zombies placed so they look like they’re creeping up out of the ground. Put green, orange and purple lights on the bushes. Position spiders on the house and set spotlights on them. Stretch sprawling webs across the shrubs, doorway and shutters for a haunted effect. Scarecrows are fun to set up too!

Trick out the inside

Here's an example on how to set up a spooky Halloween party at the kitchen counter or dining table.

Make plans

You can also involve the kids with a craft project like making a bunch of cheesecloth that can be hung around the house. Wrap the banisters with Halloween style garland. Add lights if you dare. Clear off the mantle, tabletops, bookcase or the top of the entertainment center and decorate with Halloween accents like ceramic pumpkins, lighted haunted houses and animated spooks.

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How To Spend Columbus Day This Year

By Mike's Furniture

When Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492, his voyage was an adventure even though it lasted for days! Today, some states do not have any formal celebrations, others do not consider Columbus Day as a national holiday. What exactly happens on that day?

In some states, special church services, parades and large events are held to commemorate the landing. Yet, Columbus Day has become a great time to explore the adventures of life!  Many  stores have great sales, making it a great shopping day!  How are you spending your Columbus Day?

Whether you decide to relax at home or go shopping, we just have one piece of advice for you: be an explorer!

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Be A Great Host This 2015 Oktoberfest

By Mike's Furniture

Oktoberfest is right around the corner and guest what? You don’t need to go to Germany or speak German to celebrate! Whether you are a beer drinker, a sauerkraut lover or a sausage eater, this fest is a great opportunity to gather with friends or simply to meet new people.

Originally held in Munich, Germany as it is a Bavarian festival, Oktoberfest has become one of the world’s largest folk festivals, where everybody is welcome to join and celebrate. But what if you plan to have yours at home? It’s not that complicated! Here are a few things you should do to host a great one.

To create the authentic Oktoberfest atmosphere, you do not need to set up a tent in your garden, decorate your place like a Bavarian traditional house or wear traditional outfits. All you need to have is beer!!! German ones are as good as any other.  Let the beer flow so you can fill up your guests’ beer stein!

Along with beer, serve sausages, pretzels, and sauerkraut…Oktoberfest is well known by food lovers, since they enjoy eating great traditional German food.

Ideally, put some traditional music to set the mood; make some space in your home, as some people love singing and dancing while drinking.

Now you are ready to host an Oktoberfest at home. Time to celebrate and bring German tradition to your home for hours or the day!

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3 Things To Do During Labor Day Weekend

by Mike's Furniture

We all like long weekends, but sometimes we don’t know what to do. Labor Day is a perfect day to take a break from any work, including housework and laundry! Take time to rest a little and spend some quality time with friends and family. Here are some ideas for a successful long weekend:

Play outside!
Is the sun shining and is the weather good? Take advantage of this perfect combination to organize a game of soccer or baseball with people you like to be with. If you are not sport buffs, just take time to sit in the backyard and talk about your favorite movie or anything that pleases you and your guests!

Make a brunch!
We all love to spend a little more time in bed on weekend mornings. Of course, the best thing after that is a good brunch with pancakes and chocolate milk!

Do nothing!
Sometimes, the only thing that we want to do during a long weekend is nothing! Just hanging there with a cup of coffee; observe nature in your backyard; or sitting by the window and leaf through a book or a magazine. Take a deep breath and relax…

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4 Activities To Do On Independence Day

by Mike's Furniture

Celebrate with friends!

Pack a lunch, your joy and bring a couple of friends to a place where you all feel free and love for the sake of the peace that it gives you inside.

Make a patriotic picnic with your family!

Prepare sandwiches, veggies, chips, dips and all the things you like. Add a touch of America to it; make little American flags on toothpicks for the cupcakes, give your sandwiches American President names to distinguish them, buy some American flag napkins, etc. Ask your children to give a hand, they will love it! Then find a green place to eat and have fun together.

Decorate your home originally with the American flag!

If you receive guests for this special day and want to add a touch of America in your home, there are a couple of things you can do to be in tune with the theme of the day: Paint Mason jars with the American colors and then use them to add flowers or candles to the table center; fix your utensils and napkins together with blue, white and red ribbons; make American flag place mats, etc.

Go to an Independence Day parade!

In most cities and/or states, there will be a big parade to celebrate the dedicated day of America. Go see your city’s website to know which activities or special events will be close to home and choose the one that seems the most interesting to you. Don’t miss the fireworks!

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Backyard Camping Activities

by Mike's Furniture

Put on some sunscreen, fill up that bottle of water and prepare to stay outside for a while, because we’re going camping. Don’t worry about putting gas in the car or reserving a campsite… simply step outside and pitch the tent right there in the backyard. Best of all, the comforts of home (air conditioning and a clean bathroom, anyone?) are just a few feet away when you need them. So what should you do on your backyard camping excursion? We’ve listed some of our favorite family fun activities below.

Go for a “hike.”

Pay special attention to nature while you walk around the block. Make a game out of finding leaves from different types of trees, and count the number of birds you see. The same old scenery will suddenly seem new and exciting. ​

Get crafty.

Collect small rocks from around the yard and paint them like ladybugs, or make friendship bracelets while you sit around the fire. Create something that will serve as a memento of your special time together.

Make s’mores.

You can’t go wrong with the traditional recipe—two graham cracker squares, a jumbo marshmallow and a piece of milk chocolate. For extra fun, concoct your own recipe! How about chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers? Or maybe a Kit Kat instead of plain milk chocolate?

Explore the sky.

There are dozens of cool astronomy apps you can download on your smartphone or tablet. One of our favorites is Star Walk™, an inexpensive app that helps you identify stars and planets in the sky.

Play a game.

How about a round of “Go Fish?" Or, kick things up a notch and play glow-in-the-dark ring toss with glow stick necklaces!

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