The next time you’re driving or walking through your neighborhood, slow down and take a close look at the houses while thinking “curb appeal.”

Daring do-it-yourselfers among us have painted colors on our walls once reserved for paint stores and art museums.

Chances are, you invite guests the first time you fire up the grill for steaks or burgers in spring. After a long winter, that taste of summer is truly an occasion.

Our home should be our haven, and the bedroom should be our sanctuary. Getting a good night’s rest is essential to overall health. Make your bedroom a welcoming retreat from all the stresses of the world, the place that embraces you every night.

No home truly feels like home without at least one piece of timeless furniture.

It takes the average new homeowner years to fix and furnish his or her house to satisfaction. Every paint sample, furniture choice, floor surface, window treatment and lampshade is discussed and dissected until, finally, decisions are made, and with luck, everyone is happy.

If you’d like to make a housing move but don’t allow yourself to even dream about it because of the economy, stop it. Just stop it.

So you’ve made the big decision to sell your home. You’ve cleaned out the closets, held a garage sale and given strict orders that beds are to be made every morning.

There’s no doubt that the kitchen is the heart of the home, the place where meals and memories are made. So this spring, listen to your heart and give your kitchen the TLC it deserves.

Ah, spring is in the air. Or is that dust? Let the sunshine and green of spring invigorate you to clean your nests. We’ll give you some pointers and a few tips on how to “go green” in the process.