I love plants with interesting foliage, be it the striking color, shape or fragrance. Rosa glauca, with her lovely bluish foliage, captured me the first time I saw it. Its flowers and hips are a bonus, always appreciated for their color and delicate nature. The flush of bloom is over for the season, so imagine […]
diy tips
Posted inAt Home, Blog
Marriage of Cookware and Art Can Be a Fun Experiment
Have you ever considered displaying your toaster on the living-room coffee table? Or hanging wooden mixing spoons from the hall entry mirror? Or hanging your frying pans on the wall behind the sofa? Usually not, one would say. Recently, I found myself displaying kitchenware with art and actually creating cookware displays in a living room. […]
Posted inFeatured, Food & Entertainment
Master the Art of Grilling Perfection
To master the art of grilling, it’s best to start with a piece of high-quality meat. While some supermarkets have been responding to the consumers’ demand for transparency, it’s still a good idea to find a great local butcher shop and get to know the people behind the counter. Typically your local butcher can offer […]
Posted inAt Home, Blog
Proper Care Helps Driveways Look Like New, Boosts Curb Appeal
Our driveways get a lot of use and not much attention. You maintain your yard and home, but when was the last time you showed your driveway some love? A few simple maintenance tips will keep this part of your home in top condition and help increase your curb appeal. Concrete and asphalt driveways are […]
Posted inFeatured, People & Places
Ideas for Parents for Promoting Children’s Summer Learning
“Summer time and the living is easy” — but parents shouldn’t make it too easy for their children to forget everything they’ve learned up to vacation time. Schooling stops during the summer but our learning should not. Many children tend to regress in skills learned in school during the summer months. Children come back to […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Greens & Eggs & Ham
Cleanup is probably the least enjoyable part of entertaining guests — as are elaborate recipes that keep you in the kitchen all day. “Sheet Pan Suppers,” released this past December by Workman Publishing, promises to take care of those problems. Named an essential kitchen gadget by the New York Times, the sheet pan is a […]
Posted inAt Home, Blog
Wood Varieties — Advantages, Care and Use
Last month I sat down with John Steiner to get his thoughts on woodworking — the cabinets and furniture pieces that he builds out of solid wood. Recently, I went back to his shop to discuss those woods. This is not an all-encompassing review of every wood out there, but rather a list of woods […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Give Second Life to Old Plant Pots
Now that the gardening season is in full swing, after a productive planting session, do you find yourself with an abundance of extra plant pots? Whatever you do, don’t throw them in your recycling bin! Plant pots are often too dirty to recycle, and are made of a low-value resin that is not accepted in […]
Posted inAt Home, Blog
Recipes for Perfect Picnic Picks
Perk up your next picnic with these deliciously different sandwiches and salads that are super easy to prepare and can be made ahead. Condiments like Aunt Nellie’s Sliced Pickled Beets make the difference between a good sandwich and a great sandwich. The sweet-tangy homemade flavor makes a perfect base for quick relish to embellish all […]