Family Fun Night By The Fireplace

 In less than two minutes the weather will be dropping to much lower temperatures, forcing us to stay in for the night. Make the most of your nights at home with these family fun night ideas! Play games and create crafts in front of your fireplace for a cozy, fun night.

Make your memories last by creating a scrapbook. With a few key materials from a craft store (a scrapbook or blank album, glue, and accessories like decorative-edge scissors, colorful paper, and glitter), you can share your family's story and personality in a fun and easy way. Collaborate on the first two pages and then let each person decorate his own page with movie tickets, artwork, or other mementos. Add stickers, write captions, and let your inspiration rule. Don't forget to dig out old family photos as well as newer ones, and include snaps of you and your husband as teens—the kids will get a kick out of Mom's and Dad's funny clothes and hair.

Read More At Family Circle 

Make The Most Out Of Your Fire

 Do you know how to make the most of your fireplace? Do you ever struggle to create a crackling fire on those bitterly cold nights? Lifehacker gives some great advice on how to make the most of your fire.

1. Once you've got a small fire going, you can start adding your bigger logs. You can usually just lay these across the grate lengthwise, then stack one or two on top diagonally. Remember: you want to leave enough room for oxygen to flow so everything catches fire easily.

Read More At Lifehacker 

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Save Money This Year With A Wood-Burning Stove

 In months of extreme heat and extreme cold, utility bills usually spike significantly. If you want to keep your home toasty inside when it's nippy outside but don't want to spend a fortune, consider getting a wood-burning stove.

A year ago I wrote an article extolling the environmental and financial benefits of these stoves, so it seemed foolish not to follow my own advice - especially as we have a house tailor-made for one.

Read More At The Guardian

Make A Resort In Your Own Home

 Brisk weather will be here before you know it, and soon it will be time for skiing. Have you ever considered turning your own home into a resort? Start with a beautiful fireplace, stock up on gourmet hot cocoa, and then allow your imagination to run wild.

The look, smell and feel of a wood burning fireplace can soothe the soul while generating a deep, penetrating and relaxing warmth within a home. And with other great benefits, wood fireplaces make a great addition to any room.

A&J Fireplaces

Make The Most Of Your Fireplace

 Are you making the most of your fireplace? Do you understand how to maximize the efficiency of your fireplace? Read the following about how to optimize your fireplace...

Without doors, your fireplace will suck the heat out of your home and send it up the chimney. There's an endless variety of designs for doors with tempered or ceramic glass. An advantage of the latter is it lets some heat radiate back into the room. Doors also add another level of safety, especially if there are kids around.

Read More At Chicago Tribune

Romantic Dinner IDeas

 Fireplaces create a romantic atmosphere, regardless the season of weather. In the summertime decorate your fireplace with candlesticks, and cook a lovely dinner for two for a night to remember. You can enjoy a romantic fireplace dinner any time of year, and here is an article with a list of romantic meals that you can make.

The luxurious, velvety texture of a good pasta carbonara is ephemeral at best, so you must enjoy it right away. Tempering the egg with hot pasta water keeps the sauce creamy by preventing it from curdling. For a smoky taste, use bacon in place of pancetta.

Read More At Cooking Light 

Family Night Fun

 As the weather turns toward fall, and the nights cool down, we like to envision cozy fun times by the fire with our loved ones. Start planning now for your fall Family Nights, making the fireplace your focal point. The following is an article highlighting the many things that you need to have for the best family night.

When family game night arrives, everyone wants to get to the fun, so planning an easy meal is the best way to get Mom out of the kitchen fast so the fun can begin. Plan ahead with a frozen pizza or casserole made ahead of time and a simple salad, raw veggies or cut-up fruit. Homemade hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches are also quick and easy meal ideas.

Read More At SheKnows

Don't Wait To Winterize

 As August slips through our fingers, we grasp at whatever semblance of summer is left before Fall makes its grand entrance. Why wait until the leaves fall before preparing for the cold weather? The following piece explains why you shouldn't wait to winterize your home, with tips on how to do so.

That said, don't put off your chimney needs before using your fireplace, Eldridge advises. "A common myth is that a chimney needs to be swept every year," says Eldridge. Not true. But a chimney should at least be inspected before use each year, he adds. "I've seen tennis balls and ducks in chimneys," he says.

Read More At Msn.com

Fun Ways To Decorate Your Fireplace

  Maintaining a balance in your home starts with utilizing your space efficiently. Take a look around your home and find the places that could be maximized for style and comfort. Did you ever consider using your fireplace for decoration? This Huffington Post article highlights the many ways that you can decorate your fireplace.

Decorating your fireplace in the summer is definitely an easy way to make a big focal point in your space super pretty. And there are a ton of great ideas that can make this home feature totally valuable throughout the warmer months. For instance, placing candles in the nook can add a little fiery romantic ambiance without giving off heat. You can also give the area a completely new function by using it to store books and vases.

Read More At Huffington Post