Do you have one type of thing in your home that you tend to collect without thinking? You know, those items that seem to just find their way into your home without too much conscious effort? For some people their collection obsession is shoes, for others it is figurines. For me, well, mine obsession is books. I really have come a long way to taming this beast. I have to tame it. With four other people living in this house and all of their stuff, I just can’t collect as I used to do. When I lived alone in a … Continue reading →

Our friends have chickens. My husband knew what was coming next. You see, I’ve been sort of pestering him half jokingly that we needed chickens. I’ve been pestering him for more than a year, actually. Never mind that there are a lot of other household projects to get through. For example, we are about three hours away from finishing the basement and have been for a couple of weeks, the kitchen, living room and three bedrooms need to be painted, and there are tree stumps in the front yard that need to be addressed. The two of us work full … Continue reading →

Okay, this is embarrassing, but my underwear was in a sad state of affairs. A mixture of sexy little things from my pre-baby days to nursing bras (my youngest is now four-and-a-half, and no I am not nursing him) to what-was-I thinking boy cut panties, I had a lot of stuff but not too much that I really loved. The underwear was all stuffed in drawers and unorganized, so the first thing I did was to start getting it in shape, so to speak. This helped me identify those pieces that I really used and wanted to keep. Everything is … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I was trying to transform my housekeeping just a little bit, from someone who can’t stand scrubbing to someone who does it regularly. It’s working to an extent. More often than not, the sinks are in passable shape and the bathtub is certainly getting cleaned more often. Hurray for me! I have one housekeeping secret, however: no matter what, the clutter is always cleaned up. That’s my housekeeping superpower. I walk into a room and clutter bothers me. Therefore, I clean it up. I am lucky that my husband’s housekeeping superpower is … Continue reading →

Do you avoid having company over because of the constant state of your kitchen? Don’t worry, with just a few moments and three little steps, you can have your kitchen ready for company. 1. Clear the Decks Well, actually, clear the counters. all sorts of stuff tends to collect on the counters, from school papers and mail to little used appliances, even half used boxes of snacks. Start on your left and work your way across the counters. Stash those extra appliances in cabinets and closets, file or recycle paperwork, and trash or put away any food. Once the counters … Continue reading →

When it comes to keeping things clean, you can get rich quick–rich in having a clean house. Spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying life when you employ the following four quick tricks to keeping things clean. Cookbooks Do your cookbooks carry a history of every meal that you have ever prepared. it is tough keeping pages clean when the cookbook is on the counter or you have dough all over your hands. One way to prevent splatters, drips and other stains is to protect your cookbook with this trick. Simply purchase an inexpensive clear pocket envelope at the … Continue reading →

It’s a few days past spring, and your fingers are getting itchy. Sure, where you are it might be frozen and snowing, or perhaps it’s been balmy weather all winter. But in the northern hemisphere, the spring equinox signals the time when nature heralds us to head out into the garden once again, or at least start planning for the time when the snowdrifts taper off a bit. What’s in my garden? There’s a whole lot of soil. My cover crop experiment worked to a degree. I was testing out fava beans as a cover crop, but given our Pacific … Continue reading →

We bought a home mainly because we were always told that we should… not because it was right for us, but because it was expected of us. We were told that home ownership is important for stability of your family, real estate is always a good investment, and that owning a home would be cheaper than renting. I actually have a friend who used to argue these points with me so vehemently that I can’t even have the discussion with him any more. I understand that owning a home can be a really good investment. But I also understand that … Continue reading →

Are you getting tired of your kitchen but don’t have have the thousands of dollars it would take to update it? You can still make a big difference in how your kitchen looks and feels without spending more than $30-$50 or so per step. Take one step at a time, or complete all four to make a kitchen that you will be proud to show off. 1. Add Some Lighting Nothing made a bigger difference in our kitchen than upgrading our lighting. We added four new fixtures in our ceiling. Instantly, the kitchen became much more functional–no more peeling carrots … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I shared with you some tips for buying a chain saw. With the spring, summer and fall giving us a lot of opportunity to do yard work, I thought some information on the tools that make it easier would be well worth having. One area that needs to be talked about is chain saw safety. Although chain saws can be one of the most useful tools for your property, they are efficient and can really boost your outdoor productivity, they can also be dangerous. Here is how you can take the steps that needed to ensure your safety and … Continue reading →