My friend Andrea has some sweet quirks that you really should know about if you are going to be friends with her. One, all drinking glasses should have an opening wide enough that her nose fully fits inside the glass when drinking. Two, her lettuce should be cut into bite size pieces. Andrea's quirks got me thinking about what my “sweet quirks” are. I now realize I have three of them. One, all sandwiches, burgers, bagels, etc., need to be cut in half. Two, I now have seen the light and I also prefer my salad in bite size pieces. Three, I must have the perfect balance of overhead lighting and lamp lighting in all of the rooms of our home. When we renovated our home, I added dimmers to every room. For day to day living, I love having overhead lighting to light the whole room. But, when company is coming, I go around the house and turn on all of my table lamps. I prefer the softness of the light and the atmosphere it creates. So, with the holidays coming, I am getting our home ready for guests. I have been replacing any blown out bulbs with my new favorite product – LED bulbs from Cree. I was never a fan of those weird corkscrew bulbs and I was always afraid of breaking them (which I have done). These amazing LED bulbs from Cree now have 4flow technology, they are dimmable, omnidirectional and only use 11 watts. Now, you may think I am coming on strong in the “selling it department” and yes, Cree is a company I am now partnering with. But, I was buying Cree bulbs even before I started working with them. I love a chance to save power and buy something that will last longer – meaning less bulb changing! And can you see how pretty the light is? What could be more welcoming? Guest-Bedroom-Lighting And the same principles can be applied outdoors as well. We keep our outdoor decorating pretty simple and in some areas only use the light of a spotlight. This year, we are using Cree’s wet rated 90 watt LED lights. We have them shining light on the reindeer and Santa set made by my father-in-law. And shining on our sugar house. Me and my quirky self are glad to have reached the point in the holidays where I am just focusing on the final details. I am done with projects and I am just settling into the blissful time of welcoming loved ones into our home. So, what about you? What are the final details you do to get your home ready for the holidays? What are your quirks? If you are interested in picking up your own Cree bulbs, you can get them at The Home Depot. Quickpen-Signature_edited-1 Disclosure: This post is written as part of my partnership with Cree. They provided product and compensation in exchange for writing this post, however all thoughts, ideas and love of Cree bulbs are my own.
December 19, 2014 — Laura Putnam