Ever wonder where all of those cleaning chemicals go after you have used them? Into the air? Soil? Streams and Rivers? Maybe you’re becoming environmentally concerned about household chemicals or perhaps you’d just like to save a few pennies by making your own cleaners. After all, the phrase “so clean you could eat off of…
As you make plans for improvements to your garden this year, consider attracting butterflies. Not only do butterflies provide aesthetic appeal, they also are great plant pollinators and provide food for other animals in the food chain. Butterflies just need a little encouragement from you to inhabit your garden. If you provide for their needs…
Ah, the power of the baby blanket. Functional for keeping warm, yet so magical with its soothing properties. Whether due to the ability to comfort, the reminder of consistency, or the idea of something that belongs to baby and no one else, special blankets have comforted children for many generations. Blankets are toted around the…
Pinwheels are old-fashioned fun. Make several to line the driveway or accent your flower garden. Put the kids to work and then watch them run around the yard, pinwheels in hand, happy to have created such a fun project. Homemade pinwheels make great favors at a child’s birthday party or even for a garden party…
“I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.” First stanza of “Daffodils” by William Wordsworth The daffodil is such a simple flower, yet is…
“The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose.” – Heda Bejar Love. Hatred. Acceptance. Refusal. How can one covey such sentiments without words? By sending flowers. These jewels of nature can convey almost any emotion, compliment, or warning. As with any language, one simply needs a bit of knowledge and practice. Flowers…
If you can locate a needle, thread, and a spare button in your house, you’re ahead of the game. Actually own a sewing machine? Watch out! You are well on your way to clothing repair success. None of the above? It’s not too late for you. It’s easy to assemble a simple sewing kit and…
A sunny window, a little water, and good drainage – requirements for an ideal houseplant. Succulents, whose fleshy tissues conserve moisture, look lush and come in a variety of shapes and colors, yet are remarkably easy to maintain. Members of the cactus family, succulents will actually thrive on neglect and surprise you with their vitality….
This tiny Moroccan pasta, made from semolina of hard wheat, has long been a staple food of western North Africa and is becoming a western favorite. From your local grocery shelf to the swank restaurant downtown, the versatility of couscous is becoming appreciated by the home cook and trained chef. Couscous is inexpensive, quick to…
Sometimes you need a night out, or perhaps a night in. For the latter, plan a Spa Night celebration. Relax, refresh, and renew your body, mind, and soul with a cup of your favorite tea, a calming mineral bath, and special treatments for face, hands, and feet. Sounds heavenly? Now consider sharing this with friends…