Gravel patios or “terraces” are an outdoor element used in home landscapes in Europe for many centuries. Elegant and natural, they are typically made of crushed indigenous stone, widely used for many years because it was a readily available and inexpensive material. The look is an easy surface tamped to flatten and harden the terrace […]
how-tos
Posted inBlog, Featured, Gardeners Corner
Tips About Easy-Care Houseplants
During these sometimes gray winter months, we can still find plant pleasures indoors. Houseplants are the plants that keep on giving enjoyment all year long, whether it be with foliage or with cheerful and entrancing flowers. Here are a few easy-care, no-fail plants from which to choose: Hoya, Sansevieria, Maranta, Holiday Cacti and Oxalis. Check […]
Posted inAt Home, Blog
Fish in a Dish
Let me clue you in on a baking dish that will make life easy and fun. Some will remember the delightful dishes and cookware that accompanied many a family meal. A lot of those items were Pyrex, a U.S. product that reached the consumer in 1915 with primarily clear dishes. Then in the mid-’40s the […]
Posted inAt Home, Blog
Easy Steps for Properly Hanging Your Pictures or Art
If you have just moved into a new house and need to know how high to hang all your pictures, start by holding up an artwork so that the center of it is about 5 feet from the floor. Have a second person judge whether it looks too low or too high. Always favor being […]
Posted inAt Home, Blog
Holiday Decorating Begins when you Build or Remodel
When you are thinking about holiday decorating, it is usually after you have built or remodeled — and you realize that you should have put an outlet here or there, or planned for holiday lights. While those things can be added after the fact, it’s helpful to plan out what you might need before the […]
Posted inBlog, The Outdoors
Decorating a Bird’s Christmas Tree
If decorating a Christmas tree for the birds sounds like fun, there are a few important things to remember. The most important element as far as the birds are concerned is that it be decorated with food. Variety isn’t important but quality is. Use the best birdseed mix you can find. This cuts down on […]
Posted inAt Home, Blog
Easy Updates to Make Your Home Sparkle for the Holidays
You’ve invited all the guests, planned menus and then you realize that it might be nice to do some little fix-ups around the house. Don’t fret, there are lots of little things you can do to make your house look fresh and sparkle for the holidays. The major go-to is to have the carpets professionally […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Fallen Leaves, a Gift from Above
Fall brings a bounty not everyone is excited about: piles of fallen leaves. In my garden, this abundance feels like early Christmas. All that organic material is at my disposal, and the only cost is a bit of exercise! I hope you will share my enthusiasm after I talk about some of the ways you […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
A Garden for Tea
Tea time will stop business in some cultures; it can also conjure up images of romantic and floriferous parties or bring warm relaxation to a cold winter day. Tea… Is it a ritual, an herb or a beverage? Technically, tea is the plant Camellia sinensis. Varieties of true tea plants are not cultivated in many […]