Do you love spending time in the kitchen? It is usually the gathering place for parties and get togethers at home.

Keep these kitchen safety tips in mind next time you are cooking in the kitchen:

• When cooking, wash hands in hot and soapy water before and after handling any type of food. Instead of using a dish towel to dry your hands (which is most filled with bacteria from previous uses) use paper towel.
• While cooking and preparing food, clean your counters thoroughly to eliminate any raw meat or the juices they may have left behind.
• Do not leave children unattended in the kitchen. There are many dangerous items, such as knives, hot liquid, electrical appliances, hot pots and more.
• When you leave the kitchen, make sure all appliances used for cooking are turned off and unplugged if possible.
• Turn pot handles inward when cooking so they cannot be reached or pulled down by children.
• When cooking with a frying pan, use a screen to prevent hot oil from splattering. If your grease happens to catch fire, cover the pan with a lid. Do not add water to the pan – you can also try putting baking soda or flour on a grease fire.
• Make sure to put foods that can spoil in the kitchen refrigerator after using them. Do not let them sit on the counter as they can spoil and cause illness if consumed.
• Put foods gently into boiling water so it will not splash on you.
• Keep loose clothes, long sleeves and long hair away from hot burners along with dish towels, potholders and recipes. They might catch fire.

Is your home in the perfect location but the layout isn’t quite what you would picture as “ideal”? The Lawhead Team has some helpful remodel tips.

If you bought your home at the right time, chances are renovations made to your home will only make your value go up. Remodel efficiently by modifying existing space where it is feasible or building up rather than out. Check out some tips to remodel your home the smart way:

1. If you don’t have a first floor restroom in your two-story home, you may be able to fit in a half bath in a small four by four foot area. Do you have a large coat closet or under stair cubby that you don’t necessarily need? That might be the best spot for your extra half bath.
2. Your master bedroom may not be so “master” to you. The remodel solution is to steal another bedroom to expand your bath, closet, or main part of your bedroom.
3. Expand your home by building a remodel over the garage. This may not be the least expensive of choices, as you will need to remove the roof, beef up your structure, and then build a whole new roof on top of your new room. It does, however, save you from digging a whole new foundation if you were to add a room on the ground floor.
4. If you are in need of an extra bedroom, this may not be as costly as you imagined. An extra bedroom remodel does not require plumbing, tiling or appliances other rooms do. If your attic is large enough, this may be the best place to make your new extra room!
5. Is your kitchen too closed off or small? Since the kitchen is the main hub of a home, a kitchen remodel will likely pay off if done correctly. Try removing the wall between the dining room and the kitchen which can make room for a peninsula or island.

In today’s age, many of us work from home.  Whether or not you actually have a home office set up, you are most likely always completing work tasks on the go – whether it be from your couch, your car or your kitchen while cooking dinner.

The Lawhead Team would like to share some helpful tips to carving out space in your home for a home office. The following are areas of your home you can add an office to:

Kitchen: Create your own corner home office using furniture that blends into the room. Take cues from the counter tops: Pasta- and cookie-storage jars and spice and cutlery receptacles adapt perfectly to office work.

What You’ll Need:

• A message center: A steel bulletin board is a sleek stand-in for traditional cork. Affix papers and notes with magnetic clips, and store paper clips, file tabs, and the like in magnetic spice containers.
• Lighting: A lean brushed-steel lamp pivots in two directions (up and down, side to side) and projects bright halogen light exactly where you want it.
• Furniture: A stainless-steel work table in your kitchen’s home office provides ample surface area for writing, as well as lots of legroom. Casters keep things mobile. Glass food-storage jars prevent rubber bands and other odds and ends from taking over the desktop, while a letter sorter keeps postage, tape, and outgoing mail organized.
• File storage: A rolling cart pulls out from under the desk for easy access in your home office. Binders and a bin for files or magazines slide into the lower compartment, papers get tucked neatly into a box, and pens and pencils hide away in a plastic flatware divider.

Living Room: When you’re integrating home office into this multifunctional room, the first rule is not to let the work space stick out―aesthetically or physically. Keep to the room’s color and decoration schemes, and make sure the furniture doesn’t impede traffic flow. Make use of what’s already there (shelving, cupboards), and introduce elements (lamps, chairs) that can serve other purposes when the work is done.

What You’ll Need:

• Shelving: File and CD boxes holding records, papers, and computer discs can be stacked (along with reference books) within reach on bookshelves, rather than cluttering the desktop. A shelf that’s deep and high enough is a good place to set up the printer and the fax.
• Lighting: A decorative table lamp in lieu of a more industrial-looking model helps tie the home office in to the rest of the room’s decor. It also contributes gracious accent lighting to family evenings and parties.
• Furniture: Positioning a desk flush against built-in bookshelves leaves space for people to pass. Think about purchasing an unfinished desk and painting it to blend in with the room’s wood trim. A high-back leather armchair provides comfort and support during hours spent logged on to the computer, yet it’s attractive enough to be pressed into service at cocktail hour. Under the desk, a child’s footstool (painted to match the desk) keeps the computer tower off the floor and within easy reach.
• File storage: A file cabinet on wheels can be trundled over to one side of the desk when added legroom is called for, or pulled out from underneath to provide additional surface area―say, for spreading out documents while you’re working.

Bedroom: Your bedroom is your sanctuary, so make your home office work space as inconspicuous as possible.

What You’ll Need:

• Lighting: A low, slim glass lamp sheds necessary light on your work while doing its best to contribute to the disappearing theme.
• Furniture: A clear desk and chair are sturdy, but they add no bulk to the room and become all but invisible from certain angles. (They’re also easy to clean; just wipe them down with mild soap and water―never ammonia-based cleaners―and an old T-shirt or a microfiber cloth.) Acrylic nesting tables make great platforms. Use the largest for a fax machine or a printer; the smallest can work well as a perch for a computer tower.
• File storage: Boxes, binders, and other storage elements sit neatly under a nesting table in your home office. Since they’ll be in full view, choose them as you would decorative accessories, such as throw pillows and lamp shades. Opt for ones that harmonize with the colors and patterns of your decor, or stick with whites and neutrals. Files and papers not needed as frequently can be stashed in under-bed wicker baskets.

Home office information from Real Simple: http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/home-office/carve-out-space-home-office-10000001091433/page2.html