The House Plan Shop Blog

The holidays are approaching quickly and it is easy to get caught up in the festivities of the season, but this is no time to let your guard down when it comes to following safe practices. The House Plan Shop has five holiday safety tips for you to review. Keep them in mind this holiday season.

1.    Practice Fire Safety – Most residential fires occur during the winter months and with extra activities to attend and plenty of family and friends stopping by to visit, it is easy to forget about fire safety. If you burn candles in your home, keep them away from holiday trees, curtains, blankets, and walking paths such as the hallway and other high traffic areas. Most importantly keep them out of reach of children and pets. Do not leave fireplaces, space heaters, candles and stoves unattended. Do not use grills, generators or other gasoline- or charcoal-burning devices inside your home, including the garage and basement. Make sure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly.

2.    Prevent Injuries – Injuries can occur anywhere at any time including during the holidays. Use a step stool instead of furniture when hanging holiday decorations. Make sure your ladder is secure before climbing to the rooftop to hang holiday lights. Leave the fireworks to the professionals.

3.    Keep an Eye on the Kids – With so much happening during the holidays, it is easy to get caught up in a conversation with Aunt Jane whom you haven’t seen since last year or have fun participating in the events at a holiday party. But remember if the kids are with you, you must keep a watchful eye. Whether they are eating, playing or watching a movie with their cousins in the other room, you should know what your kids are doing at all times. Keep potentially dangerous items such as toys, food, drinks and other hazardous household items out of reach. Make sure toys and game pieces are used properly. If your kids have any food allergies, make sure to check out all food items and drinks that are served at any holiday gathering you attend and help your child make healthy decisions about what to eat.

4.    Practice Travel Safety – Whether your holiday travels take you across town or completely across the country, practice safe travel habits. Do not drink and drive. Always buckle up. Make sure your child is properly fastened in his/her car seat, booster seat or just buckled in properly according to child safety laws. Also, make sure your car is in good working order and be prepared for inclement weather.

5.    Be Healthy – The holidays can make it hard to follow your normal daily routine, so make sure you continue to practice good habits for your health. Wash hands often. Dress warm in cold climates and stay dry. Cook foods to their proper temperatures. Make sure to schedule some down time in your busy schedule to relax and regroup. Most importantly make sure the whole family gets plenty of rest.

These simple tips will help ensure you and your family will enjoy a safe holiday season.

Tags: fire safety, healthy habits, holiday safety, holiday season, holidays, safety tips, travel safety

With the holidays quickly approaching, our focus turns toward celebrating the joys of the season making it easy to forget the holiday season is also a time or opportunity for potential burglars. So, while you are preparing for upcoming dinner parties and holiday gatherings, don’t forget to take time to protect your home. According to a retired veteran of the police force many people let their guard down during the holiday season thinking crime won’t happen to them. In reality, all of us are at risk.

So what can you do to protect your home? Below are seven tips to help protect your home and belongings during the holiday season.

1.    Get in the habit of changing your view on safety every year when you start changing your everyday home décor to holiday themes. And better still, modesty and simplicity is the best policy. Expensive holiday decorations and elaborate holiday light displays can signal to criminals there may be valuables inside your home making it worth the criminal’s time to break-in. Furthermore, leaving wrapped gifts under the tree in full view from exterior windows and doors make a welcome invitation for thieves. Instead of placing packages under the tree, keep them tucked away in closets and attics out of sight until the last minute. This is one of the easiest safety precautions to follow.

2.    Keep your home well-lit and well-groomed inside and out. Not only will your home look nice from the street but it is an important safety measure. The more lighting you have in your home and yard, the less places for criminals and thieves to lurk and hide. In addition, tree branches should be trimmed up at least six feet off the ground and shrubs and bushes trimmed down to no more than three feet tall. This allows a clear view of your yard from inside the house and from the street minimizing places for burglars and thieves to hide.

3.    Whether you are at home or out on a quick trip to the grocery store, keep all windows and doors locked including the garage door and the service door between the garage and the home. Burglars know the holiday season is an opportune time for breaking-in as many homes have extra valuables inside not to mention extra cash on hand.

4.    If you plan on traveling for the holidays take advantage of a home security system if possible. If you already have one, you’re in good shape. If you don’t have a home security system, consider installing one. It is a worthwhile investment. If you cannot afford a security system, set your lights and TVs on timers. Have them turn on and off in various parts of the home throughout the day and evening. Ask a trusted neighbor to park in your driveway occasionally to give the appearance that someone is coming and going from your home. Also ask a neighbor to collect the mail and newspapers or stop these services during the time you will be traveling. Notify your local police department and them know the dates you’ll be gone. Ask them to drive past your house occasionally. If you decide have a neighbor park in your driveway, identify the vehicle to the police.

5.    If you are traveling during the holiday season, only mention your trip to those who absolutely must know you’ll be gone. Likewise, do not post this information via social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It doesn’t take much legwork for potential burglars to identify you and figure out your address.

6.    In a similar manner, do not mention valuable gifts using social media. A post like, “Got a 52-inch flat screen,” becomes common knowledge instantly. If a criminal is watching your house, the minute you leave to go to work, the post office or a holiday party, your new flat screen is as good as gone.

7.    And for those who don’t use social media, don’t be so sure the public doesn’t know about your 52-inch flat screen. As soon as you put the empty box next to the trash can at the curb, the whole neighborhood will know what is inside your house. Be cautious when throwing away packaging from “big ticket” items. Burglars know what to look for. If they notice any packaging from valuable items with your curbside trash, you are inviting them inside. Instead of throwing away the whole box, break the box down. Cut it up in smaller pieces and dispose of it a little bit at a time as not to draw attention to it. If you can, recycle a few pieces of the box each week instead of throwing it away.   

While you may be looking forward to celebrating the holiday season, The House Plan Shop recommends you add these home safety precautions to your holiday “to-do” list.

Tags: holiday home safety, holiday safety, holidays, Home Safety, protecting your home, safety tips

It is that time of year when we create gift lists and shop for the perfect gift for a special loved one or friend. Sometimes, the best gifts can’t be bought online or at the store. Sometimes the best gifts are homemade - created with our own hands, talents and ambition. Homemade Christmas ornaments are the perfect way to remember someone special this holiday season whether it is a co-worker, an old classmate, grandchild, cousin or friend. Kay’s Country Cottage recently posted a blog on how to make homemade holiday ornaments including salt dough ornaments and glass ball ornaments. Simple and fun, these easy crafts create memorable holiday gifts and add a little personal charm to your loved one’s holiday decor.

Tags: Christmas crafts, Christmas ornaments, crafts, holiday décor, homemade crafts, homemade ornaments

Chances are you are either hosting a New Year’s gathering or attending one. And if you’re taking part in a special get-together, you’ll most likely be serving appetizers or brining a snack to the party you plan to attend. The House Plan Shop is here to help. The following appetizer recipes are some of our favorites. Happy New Year from The House Plan Shop! Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Smokies

Ingredients:

1 package of cocktail sausages

1 package of maple flavored bacon cut into thirds

1 cup packed brown sugar

Toothpicks

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.    Spray a 9”x13” glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

3.    Wrap each cocktail sausage with a third piece of bacon.

4.    Stick a toothpick through the middle securing the bacon and place in the glass dish arranging in a single layer.

5.    Sprinkle brown sugar over the top.

6.    Bake for 45 minutes or until edges of bacon begin to get crispy.

7.    Serve warm.

Easy Pizza Sticks

Ingredients:

1 (11 oz) can refrigerated bread sticks

Thin pepperoni slices

Shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese blend

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Pizza sauce

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.    Roll out breadsticks onto an ungreased cookie sheet and separate.

3.    Place two or three pepperoni slices at one end of the bread stick.

4.    Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

5.    Fold remaining half of breadstick over the top, seal the end and twist.

6.    Repeat for remaining breadsticks and arrange on cookie sheet.

7.    Mix together parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic power in small bowl.

8.    Sprinkle over the top of the twisted breadsticks.

9.    Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

10.  Dip in warm pizza sauce and enjoy.

Tags: appetizers, New Year's, recipe

Christmas morning is memorable no matter how young or old we are. Add to the memories of this special day by sharing The House Plan Shop’s favorite, savory cinnamon rolls with your loved ones for Christmas breakfast.

Bed & Breakfast Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

2 packages of dry yeast

1 egg

1 tablespoon salt

3 tablespoons cinnamon

3 tablespoons milk

½ cup white sugar

1 ¼ sticks butter

1 ¾ cups warm water

2 cups brown sugar

5 cups flour

Powdered sugar

Chopped pecans optional

Directions:

1.    Combine yeast with water in large mixing bowl.

2.    Add white sugar, 3 cups flour, egg, ¼ stick softened butter, and salt and mix well.

3.    Add remaining 2 cups flour and mix to form soft dough.

4.    Place in a greased bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.

5.    The next morning, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

6.    Roll the dough into a 10”x30” rectangle.

7.    Cut the remaining stick of butter into pats and place them in rows covering the dough.

8.    Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle over the dough and butter.

9.    Starting with one of the long edges, roll the dough tightly into a tube shape.

10.  Cut the dough at 2” intervals with a sharp knife, place into a greased round or oval baking dish.

11.  Bake for 15-25 minutes.

12.  While rolls are baking, combine combine milk and powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl until it is a spreading consistency. (Slowly add powdered sugar so the icing doesn’t get too thick.)

13.  Remove the rolls from the oven and ice with powdered sugar mixture.

14.  Top with chopped pecans if desired.

 Please visit our blog next week for more holiday recipes.

Tags: Christmas, recipe