With Valentine's Day just a couple of weeks away, it's not too early to start thinking about gifts for the special people in your life. I know it's just another one of those "hallmark holidays" that some people love to hate, but I like Valentine's Day. We don't do big, elaborate gifts, yet in the…
Lately I've been feeling kind of...dumpy. It seems like my hair is in a ponytail 6 days a week and I've worn sweatpants all day more often than I care to admit. It got so bad that last Friday I painted my fingernails, which may not seem like a big deal to most of you,…
Are you a “saver?” You might claim it as your heritage (the Dutch are infamous for penny pinching and using everything fully) or inspired by an experience (those who lived through the Great Depression never threw anything away that had value) or because of your “green” sensibilities (it would be wasteful and harmful to the…
My favorite part of Thanksgiving is easily the next few days. Suddenly the refrigerator is full (if I'm lucky, this fullness includes a few slices of apple pie), and rather than cook full meal's from scratch, I get to improvise with dinner leftovers in the refrigerator. Something about dinner leftovers makes me feel challenged, though.…
The following post is from Myra of My Blessed Life: Decorating with a seasonal wreath is a fast and easy way to celebrate the season. Wreaths are a great do-it-yourself project because they can be made from just about anything you can imagine. Don't forget that wreaths aren't only for your front door, but also…
You probably don't need to chase down the garbage man or go dumpster diving for your daily bread, but in a country where the average person wastes $600 of food every year, I can think of a few reasons you might want to figure out how to eat garbage. A good start to reducing food…
My husband loves football. However, this little tidbit was not disclosed in our prenuptual agreement. OK, we didn’t really have a prenup, but he kept this information well hidden until I was deeply entrenched as his wife, having borne him four children. I thought I had escaped life as a football widow, but no. “Why…
My garden is starting to burst with fresh vegetables and fruits. We've already gone strawberry picking, and the raspberries are coming in daily at this point. In a few weeks the blueberries will be here, too. As tomatoes ripen, I know I'll have to have a few ideas for getting those on my shelves or…
This month's Eat Well, Spend Less topic is summer produce! From making the most of a CSA share to preserving your harvest, we're covering a variety of topics. I thought about preparing my garden for most of the spring and early summer, but in the end we decided it was just "one more thing" on…
When we were first dating, my now-husband, then-boyfriend was telling his best friend about me. After listening to him presumably sing my praises, his friend said, "Yeah, but can she cook?" Thank goodness for me, the answer was yes. Now, I think we would have been okay if I had not be handy in the…