Home & Garden
My Month without Spending: Mid-Month Progress
After a period of relative financial abandon, I recently decided to try a “month without spending.” I framed my exceptions and went out to live life, sans checkbook. Here is how it is going. What Is Going Well? Planned purchases are amazingly speedy. I zipped through the grocery store for milk—bee-lined to the back then … Continue reading
My Month Without Spending
The idea came from a magazine. Last November’s Family Circle mentioned the concept of a cash sabbatical—a day without spending—to help come to terms with the emotions triggered by spending. The concept was interesting but one day didn’t seem like a real challenge, so I toyed casually with the idea of a month. Then a … Continue reading
No Doorknob Left Unadorned (and Other Christmas Images)
If I had tried to predict what I would include in a Christmas blog post, it would have been food. Baked goods with peppermint, soups with rosemary and anything roasted. Perhaps it is the mini-diet I just finished or my malfunctioning oven (stay tuned for my story of cooking for 18 on Christmas Eve without a real oven), but there … Continue reading
Green Tip: Reduce Paper Towels By Using Cloth Rags
Lately (perhaps with the Thanksgiving holiday), I’ve been thinking back to when my oldest, now 20, was a baby. Trying to be as environmentally conscious as possible, we made the decision to use cloth diapers. While I am now long past the life stage of the cloth versus disposable debate, there is one component of … Continue reading
Surviving a Kitchen Remodel: Lessons Learned (Part 2)
In the summer of 2010, we completed a kitchen remodeling. I provided an overview and discussion of what went right in my last post. Here is the conclusion of our lessons learned. What I would do differently Here is a summary of things that I would change: One mistake that I made was thinking … Continue reading
Surviving a Kitchen Remodel: Lessons Learned (Part I)
In May we began a kitchen remodeling that was—more or less—finished in July. My original plan was to write a lessons-learned summary at the point where we were completely done. That’s right, done–every seam sanded, all nail holes patched, curtains hung. That could be in 2015. Having spent many years (ok, decades) as an … Continue reading
A Tribute to Seasonality: CSA Harvest Party
On Saturday night I attended what I consider the not-to-miss event of the year. This prime social occasion is not a gala ball or elegant dinner; it is the Harvest Party at Rare Earth Farm, one of my CSAs. Every year we take a trip to the country to celebrate another successful season. Autumn this … Continue reading
Surviving a Kitchen Remodel: The NeverEnding Story
I was feeling pretty good when we had most of the work on our new kitchen done in approximately 8 weeks. Admittedly there was one wall that still needed the drywall finished and the backsplash tile was pending, but I was in and functioning. Then the backsplash went in, looked great and I felt fabulous. … Continue reading
Old Cardboard Finds a Tentative New Life (or the Mulch Dilemma)
I have been feeling guilty lately about hijacking a blog focused on all things “green” to talk about my kitchen. But interestingly, the kitchen remodeling has led me into some new research on garden mulch that I’d like to pass along. In my never-ending quest to reduce the size of my lawn (aka weeds), I … Continue reading
Surviving a Kitchen Remodeling: Functional Again (Week 8)!
I would love to say that our kitchen is “done” rather than “functional” but we still have some work to go. Remaining is some drywall work on the walls without cabinets, moldings (same walls, a window and a doorway) and the backsplash tiling. Still we are able to get in and use it, which is … Continue reading
Green Store Closing Sale
Up to 75% off
* * * * * Last Week * * * * *
Recent Comments