Oh, the air has turned crisp and fresh, the colorful leaves are falling to the ground, the squirrels and the birds are busying themselves with food storage and nest reinforcements so what’s next? At our home what’s next is a FIRE! A fireplace is a wonderful addition to a home. It adds warmth, atmosphere, and beauty, and at least for me, fosters a desire to make a big cup of Joe and pick up a good book, or THE Good Book!

The scent of the air filled with a warm smoky essence floods the heart and mind with thoughts of the simple pleasures of life. No matter how harsh the cold outside, the bright coziness of the fire is reminiscent of home, family, and peace. Sometimes I need no further escape or respite than just to sit in front of a well lit fire and the multi-hued flames flicker my day away or carry me off to dream land.

Now building a fire with these kinds of powers does take a little bit of care. If you’ve just moved into a home with a fireplace we’ll help you with the basics of keeping the fire safe and enjoyable. So here are some wonderful tips for or preparing & controlling your fire.

First burn the right wood.

Only use kindling and/or newspaper to start your fire and keep it going with logs that have been seasoned for over 6 months. You’ll want a convenient wood pile in close proximity to the backdoor for ease and time.

NEVER use any fire starters or gasoline as you might for a bonfire.  You don’t want to risk any chance of dripping fuel or sparking onto your furniture or flooring. You also don’t want those materials on your hands while you’re managing the fireplace in your home around your children or pets.

No chemically treated wood either, or any cardboard, drift wood, plastics, and other trash as well as they will also emit dangerous chemicals when burned.

Prepare to put the fire OUT.

If something unexpected happens, you’ll need to be ready to put the fire out. It’s important to keep emergency supplies on hand in case you or a family member is accidentally burned. The First Aid Kit should include pain relief, ointment, and bandages.

Sturdy iron doors or sturdy metal screens are the safest, and those should be kept closed between adding logs to the fire.

You will need a set of fireplace tools that includes a shovel. If the fire isn’t dying on its own and you need to put it out, use the shovel to break apart the logs and place ashes over top of them.

This practice is called banking the fire for when you need to leave but want to keep it going just enough to bring it back to life later. This won’t completely put out the fire but it will reduce the logs to a smolder so it can either die down for when you come back or it’ll go out gradually on its own.

EMERGENCY FIRE CONTROL.

If a fire gets out of control or spreads to the home, you’ll need to cut the fire off from any oxygen. A FIRE BLANKET is one useful item for this kind of emergency to pat and extinguish flames. It’s a good idea to keep a bag of sand by the fire, and if it comes to using the sand, pour slowly so that the fire doesn’t jump to anything around you. Don’t forget to check on your home smoke alarms as well.

If you haven’t cleaned your fireplace, a likely hazard you could experience is a chimney fire. Creosote builds up in your chimney and can spark to cause extreme heats. These fires easily catch to your roof and can quickly get out of control. It’s much easier and less expensive to keep the chimney clean and prevent this because if the fire department comes they may have to flood your chimney (and your living room) with water!

You can clean the chimney yourself if you feel comfortable getting on your roof with a fiberglass rod and wired chimney brush. Be sure to clean your chimney each year before you build your first fire.

Spread the heat love.

Turn on your ceiling fans and oscillating fans to disperse the heat to other parts of your home.

It’s a great idea to check all windows, doors, openings for air loss and secure that as well, can you say.

Your chimney should be able to pull most of the smoke from the fire as a draft. If you find smoke is filling into your home, then you should put the fire out and have your chimney cleaned before you attempt another fire.

When the air turns refreshingly chilly and the grounds are littered with gorgeous rich colors and the neighborhood smells of burning wood my thoughts turn to the anticipation of holiday gatherings and decorating! Fall is one season I love to decorate both indoors and out! I rekindle my love of baking and recipe testing. Check out this link to see some really easy and totally beautiful ways to bring Fall into your home or onto your porch!
 29 Lovely Fall Farmhouse Decorating Ideas

Ahhh February. Shortest month on the calendar and even though it's fraught with chilled breezes and blustery skies, it's the month known for the warmest of emotions-Love. It's gemstone is the Amethyst and it's flower the Violet, while those born in this month are said to be influenced by the water bearer, Aquarius. With all that going on it's little wonder then that many cities and counties capitalize on it by offering up some absolutely irresistible activities to entice us our of our homes and help us dislodge those wintry doldrums! 

If a concert is your poison, just take a minute to see who's coming to entertain you in Nashville this month! Reba McIntire, Alan Jackson, ZZ Top or how about those Temptations! But don't forget about Foreigner, Cheap Trick and John Legend, or New Kids On The Block and Bon Jovi either! If music is your game - it's game ON!

Not a concert goer, well don't despair. There are quite a few block buster movies out this month too. Check out Split w/James McAvoy and his personalities PLUS! Or how about RINGS! Too scary for you? You won't waste your time and Hidden Figures or A Dog's Purpose where the human equation is nothing short of inspirational!

So whatever you do, whether you are a "couple" or a "single" February is a month with a little something for everyone!