If you love fall, Halloween is a great time to follow your whimsy and decorate your home. We asked two local women — Port Orchard’s Deb Howard and Gig Harbor’s Becky Curneen — to share their tips and inspiration, based on 30 years each of collecting and decorating for Halloween. 1. Celebrate the season. If […]
how-tos
Posted inAt Home
How to Make Your Own Hydrangea Wreath
Hydrangeas are among the most popular shrubs in West Sound, and they make beautiful wreaths. Floral wreaths can cost as much as $50, but if you have your own hydrangeas, you can make a wreath for less than $6. Early fall is the time to cut hydrangea flowers when their petals feel papery and they […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
10 Tips for Picking the Best Pumpkin for Carving a Perfect Jack-o’-Lantern
Halloween Fun Fact: Ninety percent of parents admit to secretly snatching some candy from their kids’ Halloween trick-or-treat bags! Go for it — and have fun!
Posted inAt Home
Apples
“As American as apple pie,” the saying goes. “An apple a day keep’s the doctor away” — maybe because an apple is full of fiber and vitamins and minerals? And then, stories abound about a guy name Johnny Appleseed who went across the country scattering apple seeds. It turns out that John Chapman (1774-1845), a […]
Posted inGarden
Clematis — the Perfect Companion Plant
Do you have a problem structure in your garden? Perhaps there is an ugly shed or very functional fence calling for a color pop on your property? Clematis could be the answer to your design needs. They are available in many colors and heights. This vine plant comes in over 100 readily available varieties, each […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Time for Fall Garden Cleanup
Some gardeners ignore or forget a very important part of the garden year. But you should think of it as getting ready to plant again. With the decrease in daylight, our plants are slowing down and it is a good time to remove all spent annual and garden plants and consider planting a few garlic […]
Posted inAt Home
Five Tips on How to Successfully Read to Your Child
Reading has the enduring power to shape and develop minds, both in the home and classroom. The urgency to make the teaching of reading as effective and enjoying as possible should always be reinforced at home. The goal must be to show every child the power that comes from the world reading can bring to […]
Posted inGarden
Making Compost
Plants provide wonderful food for cooking but one of the not-so-secret secrets of gardening is that every now and then, you need to cook for plants rather than with them. Give them a tasty meal of their favorite food and they will thank you with robust shoots, fruits and roots. But do not run out […]
Posted inAt Home
Harvest Your Own Home Decor
Warm up your home with this season’s trendiest looks. Put your personal touch on your home’s decor with crafting projects that highlight the best of fall: copper detail, animal icons and pumpkins of every color, including white. Create a seasonal tablescape or mantel decoration with these Harvest Fall Lanterns (created by the crafting experts at […]