From Lawn to Soil

Oh yes, it’s time for a little bit of bragging here. My central and eastern friends might want to ignore this post, because it talks about that much-awaited season: spring! Yes, it’s turning into spring in the Pacific Northwest. It’s not quite here, and I’m sure that we’ll have a few more days of winter yet. However, right now there’s no snow on the ground, so this weekend I worked to set up a garden plot. I’m gardening in two yards around my neighborhood, where the neighbors have been kind enough to allow me to grow vegetables in their unused … Continue reading →

Where to Put Your Kid’s Stuff

It’s almost back to school time here. To me, that means cleaning time! It’s time to find a place for objects that have been roaming free around the house and the garden all summer. If you’ve decided to keep an item but it doesn’t seem to have a home, here are some storage solutions for your children’s stuff. We love baskets. I particularly love baskets on shelves. Baskets are easy to find at garage sales. Choose a deep basket that doesn’t tip over and cause toys to fall out. If you get baskets that fit a shelf, you can have … Continue reading →

Organization for a Half Bathroom

Our half bathroom, on the main floor gets a lot of use. It is one of the central hub of our home. The family, the kids’ friends, service people, even casual visitors wind up using it. Because of this, it has to be stocked with various items. from extra rolls of toilet paper and several hand towels, to band-aids and antiseptic, to tissues, combs and lotion. Not wanting to go all the way up or down the stairs, certain dirty clothing items, such as stray socks, hand towels and jackets wound up accumulating in the corner of the bathroom since … Continue reading →

How to Get the Best Groceries

A home runs on food; it really does. Make sure that you get the best food for the best prices with the following grocery store tips. Know Where to Look Shelf placement is important to grocery stores. If you want to find the latest or the most popular products, look at the shelves at eye level. For less popular speciality items and items that cost the least, check out the top most shelves. Finally, bottom shelves are usually devoted to bulk items and items in larger packaging. Try Before You Buy You never have to get stuck with sour oranges … Continue reading →

How to Trim the Toys

For me, toys are one of the hardest things for me to deal with in my quest for a well-organized home. We seems to have a lot of toys for the kids, and they tend to get more and more of them. Then of course, they are hard for me to get rid of. The kids seem to want to keep all of them all of the time, even the ones that they don’t play with. Then of course, I have a hard time getting rid of toys, too, since I remember the fun times that we had with them. … Continue reading →

The Kitchen Saga, Part Three

Oh, the trepidation. It’s renovation week. It has finally arrived. This is the second time that we’ve renovated using contractors. The first time was when I was very, very pregnant. This time, we’re not doing much DIY simply because we don’t have the time, and delightfully, we do have the money. This is a blessing, in that we don’t need to actually do the work. This fills me with trepidation, since we’re at the whim of someone else’s abilities and schedule. Already, our final kitchen installation has been rescheduled. Everything’s going out this Friday, and it’s not coming back until … Continue reading →

Sleep Better in Your Bedroom

If you are having trouble sleeping at night, it could be your bedroom. Here are some ways to make your bedroom really sleep friendly. Make the changes now, and you’ll sleep better tonight. Getting enough sleep is priceless. Remove the Distractions Your bedroom should be a sleep center. It shouldn’t be a gaming center, a media center or a workout center. Remove things that don’t belong in the bedroom. These can serve as distractions that interrupt sleep. Common culprits include television, a treadmill, elliptical or other exercise equipment, and a desk or home office. These items serve as reminders of … Continue reading →

Coffee

Are you a coffee drinker? Starbucks sells in the area of 4 billion cups of coffee a year. Starbucks serves roughly 30 million customers a week and around 4 million customers each day. That’s a lot of coffee. It’s Pumpkin Spice Latte season at Starbucks. I don’t really like pumpkin pie, but I love those warm cups of spicy pumpkin goodness. Eggnog season is coming and eggnog lattes are better than Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Several years ago a barista encouraged me to put chai in my eggnog latte. I didn’t know that something as wonderful as eggnog latte would be … Continue reading →

How to Buy Sheets: Thread Type

Fibers, thread counts, alternative fabrics…buying sheets today can be daunting and confusing. The best combination for your good night’s sleep is out there. Here is a buyers guide on how to buy sheets. Thread Type You can choose between two different types of thread for your sheets: cotton (two kinds), synthetic or green alternatives. Each has its own pluses and minuses. 100 percent or pure cotton has the benefits of being strong, yet soft. Because cotton breathes, you feel cool. The downsize of cotton is that it can wrinkle easily. To reduce the amount of wrinkles, dry your sheets on … Continue reading →

What Food Has the Longest Shelf Life? Protein Sources

It is no good stocking up for food for an emergency if most of it goes bad before you can use it. A good idea is to rotate your stockpile of course. Use some of your saved food in your regular meals and replace those items with fresh ones that you newly purchase. Still, making sure that you pick staple items that have a long shelf life will help you be better prepared for an emergency, since you know that there is a good chance that your emergency food supply will be edible and nutritious, two things that can be … Continue reading →