Planet Weidknecht

4/5/13

Daily Inspiration - Proverbs 9:10

Spa Day At Home - Huge Coupon Savings

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Staging a House to Sell

Since our house is on the market right now, I thought I'd share the photos of some of the "house staging" I've been doing. I'm trying very hard to use items I already have so that I don't spend any money.

For the decor that sits on the triangle shelf next to the staircase, I didn't have to spend any money. The butterfly picture was originally on the wall, but we wanted to repair all the nail holes. The orange placemat, peach candle, and two orange flower sprays were spring items I bought last year or maybe the year before. The vase was in my kitchen cabinet at the back and I found it when I was cleaning out. No money spent.

For the dining room table setup, I used a long doily runner that a dear friend gave me a while back; she purchased it in Germany. The blue flower mat and the candles were in a storage box in my closet. I found the two dinner placemats in the pantry in two different places. The dining dishes are the beautiful Lenox pieces I received for a review at Christmas time. The wine basket I made up of existing decor pieces that I used for a cookie review a few weeks ago, plus a gift bottle of wine we haven't opened yet. I did spent $2 on the flowers in the plastic vase.

In the living room next to the loveseat, I turned three wicker baskets upside down to make a modular side table. The old candles are perched in a fabric bread basket from an Inspired review last November. The moose was rescued a few years back from a Christmas display at a home store. The Poe book came off our bookshelf. No money spent.

The shelf between the dining room and living room is a wonderful long shelf, perfect for staging. The book and teacup came from a sale a few years back at a hobby store. The bamboo bowl is from a Core Bamboo review I did last year, and the fake fruit was purchased about two years ago. The table runner was in my pantry, still in the packaging. Again, no money spent.

On the kitchen counter, I laid out a placemat and arranged my three iron ant sculptures (a gift from a dear friend) around the deviled egg plate my son made for me years ago. The sea salt grinder is from a review, as is the wooden crate and all the vinegars inside of it. No money spent.

On the kitchen island is another placemat from my pantry. On a bamboo platter from a Pampered Chef purchase about five years ago, I arranged a butter dish, sugar dish and salt and pepper shakers, all purchased a few months back, maybe in January. No money spent here either. I guess I'm doing pretty well working with the items I already have in my house. I've found that simplicity is actually really beautiful.

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Kia Sportage SX AWD - Review

A week of driving this red Kia Sportage was just not enough time. I did NOT want to turn it back into the company. I had so much fun driving this car around the Austin area! It's kind of like a mix between a car and a sport utility vehicle, much cooler than a station wagon and as easy to drive as a sports car.

It's a roomy car on the inside, seating five comfortably, plus a huge cargo area in back. The Sportage gets 20 mpg city and 25 mpg highway, so it gets good gas mileage. I drove it around all week and never had to refill the tank.

I like the angular lines of the car and the Signal Red color is beautiful. The car has four doors, so it worked great for my family because my teenage boys can get in and out of the back easily.

The drive is very comfortable and it was easy to park, both pulling in and backing in. Kia did a great job adding lots of little things to the Sportage (many of them standard) to make it more fun to drive and easier to use.

The cargo area in back was plenty of room for all the groceries I have to buy to feed my teenage boys. The seats also fold down for more storage space. I like the shade that pulls over the cargo area to keep people from peering in at my purchases.

Lifting the carpeted cargo bench reveals another area to organize things so they don't roll around. It's a great spot to store emergency supplies, tools, towels, and other stuff you usually carry in a car.

The safety features of the Kia Sportage include airbags, active headrests, anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, brake assist, rollover protection, and tire pressure monitoring. It gets a five star government overall safety rating.

It's a four cylinder engine with a six speed automatic transmission. I found it to respond well both on neighborhood streets and the highway. I like sitting slightly higher up than when in a car. I had a blast playing with all the buttons on the driver's seat to get it right where I want it.

The interior is very comfortable and the front seats can be heated or air-cooled. The seats almost hug me when I sit down. Everything on the dashboard is within reach and easy to see.

One of the best things I discovered was the seatbelt adjustment. I hate feeling like I'm being choked by the seatbelt, but the click of a button moves the belt down farther on my shoulder.

I also love starting the car with a push of a button. It also remembered my favorite radio station when I turned off the car.

The heating and cooling system was so easy it actually confused me! I am used to many more buttons to find the temperature I want, but the Kia Sportage easily manages it.

The wonderful computer touch screen on the dash is a driver's best friend. The new technology in cars today is really exciting!

From the AM/FM radio to the built-in GPS navigator to the Sirius radio, all the information I need and want is right at my fingertips.

The back-up warning system is really neat. As soon as the car is in reverse, the screen shows you a live photo of the area behind the car. No worries about backing into or over someone!

The steering wheel has cruise controls and audio controls on the right and left, so my hands can stay on the wheel all the time. Since the steering wheel tilts, I can put it wherever feels most comfortable to me.

I can also plug my own music into the car and charge up my electronics while I drive. It's been fun to discover all the extras in the car.

Believe it or not, it was two full days before I realized I had a panoramic sunroof. After that, it was open all the time. I love the natural light coming into the car.

Even the wheels are snazzy-looking and I felt good driving around in the Kia Sportage. Several of my neighbors even came over to admire my "new car" for the week. It's a great car!

You can find out more about the Kia Sportage at www.kia.com. Check them out on Facebook and Twitter too!

Disclosure: I received a week-long test drive at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Affresh Cleaners - Review

Deep cleaning to sell a house is not much fun. It takes a long time to complete every single task on a very long "to do" list. Luckily for me, Affresh Cleaners has made several of my chores so much easier.

I bought stainless steel appliances for my kitchen a few years ago. They are beautiful when they are clean. The problem with stainless steel appliances is they show every fingerprint, every smudge, and every speck of dust. My family spends a lot of time in the kitchen, so keeping the appliances clean is a hassle. My dishwasher even shows water spots from condensation!

Before Affresh

I used Affresh Stainless Steel Cleaner on my dishwasher, oven front, microwave, and fridge. I'm so happy with the results! They shine beautifully and there are no streaks. I absolutely love what these cleaners do for my kitchen.

Before Affresh

The Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner is for the inside of the dishwasher. Since we have really hard water, even with a water softener, I popped one tablet into my dish-soap door and dropped another into the bottom of the dishwasher, than ran it once. It removed lots of the water calcium buildup and did a great job cleaning it.

Before Affresh

I also cleaned my front-loading washer with the Affresh Washer Cleaner. It got rid of that nasty moldy smell that tends to hang around in the washer seal! I'm so glad because with our house on the market to sell, clean smells are so important.

After Affresh

Most impressive to me was the Affresh Cooktop Cleaner. My stove and oven get so gunked up with food splatters and my ceramic cook surface never looks quite clean enough. Between the Cooktop Cleaner and the Stainless Steel Cleaner, my oven looks brand new! The Affresh Kitchen and Appliance cleaner was perfect for cleaning all my counters and all my small appliances.

After Affresh

Visit www.affresh.com for more information and follow them on Facebook. Then enter below to win all these products for your own kitchen and laundry room! You must be at least 18 years old and reside in the USA. Only the first entry is mandatory; bonus entries increase your chances to win. Giveaway ends at midnight ET on 4/21/2013. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received products at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Chef's Edition SpiceStack - Ends Apr 7
Gorton's Seafood Challenge Prize Pack - Ends Apr 14
Blue and Ivory Pillow from Overstock - Ends Apr 14
ProSmoke Disposable Electronic Cigarettes - Three Winners - Ends Apr 14
Play-Doh Children's Books Prize Pack - Ends Apr 14
$25 Gift Card to Lavender Natural Cosmetics - Ends Apr 14
Cook It! New Sprouts Chef Set from Learning Resources - Ends Apr 21

Cook It! New Sprouts Chef Set - Review

Learning Resources has expanded their fabulous line of educational toys for 2013 and the New Sprouts Cook It! Chef Set is here to instill cooking creativity into your preschoolers. Since children see parents cooking all the time in the kitchen, it's only natural that they'd want to emulate cooking, serving, and washing dishes.

This sturdy, brightly colored set includes a skillet and a pot, with a lid that fits both, plus a colander and two spoons. Imagine all the things your child will make with these perfectly-sized cookware pieces. Add some water to this creative play and see what happens!

Extend your child's play even more by creating some real recipes in the kitchen with your child. All the Learning Resources learning toys are designed to provide children with opportunities to learn through play, which is the best way to teach a young child.

Check out www.learningresources.com for this and dozens of fabulous toys your children will love to play with over and over again. Be sure to follow their social media accounts, then enter below to win the Cook It! New Sprouts Chef Set for your little cook.

Learning Resources Online ~~~ Learning Resources on Facebook

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Learning Resources on Twitter ~~~ Learning Resources on YouTube

Win Cook It! New Sprouts Chef Set from Learning Resources!
To enter just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. You must be at least 18 years old and reside in the USA. Only the first entry is mandatory; bonus entries increase your chances to win. Giveaway ends at midnight ET on 4/21/2013. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received products at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

The Parking Spot - Superior Airport Parking

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Parking Spot. All opinions are 100% mine.
Traveling by plane can be so much fun. It can also be stressful, from the parking lots to your flight gate. The Parking Spot is an airport parking company that provides a superior experience. With 34 locations at over 22 airports, The Parking Spot is more than just a vacant lot to leave your precious car. They focus on hospitality, with a huge array of amenities to help you make your next vacation even better. Founded in 1998, The Parking Spot is a national chain staffed by friendly people who want to see you smile.

The Parking Spot is located near the airport and has shuttles every 5 to 7 minutes. Chere HERE for a location near the airports you frequent! They are always open and several locations allow you to select from open-air parking, covered parking and even valet parking. Each location is well-lit and fully fenced to help give you peace of mind while you travel. Checking in and out of The Parking Spot is fast and easy. You can make your airport parking reservations knowing you'll receive luggage assisstance, complimentary chilled water, complimentary USA Today newspaper until 9am during the week, plus some locations even offer car washes and oil changes.
They will pick you up at your vehicle and at your hotel valet lobby. The Parking Spot even has a club called Spot Club to provide you with even more privileges and it's completely FREE to join. You can sign up HERE and start earning points for free parking plus you can track your account online. I'm so glad there is a location here in Austin, Texas! Follow @The Parking Spot on Twitter and like The Parking Spot on Facebook. Be sure to check them out for parking for your next vacation or business trip!