Summer Outdoor Living Ideas

Photo via Etsy.com/shop/Leonscreativememorie

Summer is around the corner. Are you ready to get the most out of the season? There are so many things—some little, some bigger—you can do to enhance your summer enjoyment at your home. What improvements can you make beyond the obvious things like increasing the time on the Slip ‘n Slide and eating popsicles every day? Here are some of the best summer-living ideas to get you thinking. Outdoor kitchens. Creating a proper outdoor cooking space complete with built-in grill is becoming increasingly popular. These spaces are usually centered on a patio entertaining space, meaning that everything about your meal, from the cooking to the eating, can … [More]

Top Gardening Ideas From Pinterest

Spring has sprung! Daffodils are blooming everywhere and the birds are starting to make a ruckus. Time to get out in the sunshine and get your hands in the dirt. Pinterest is a great place to look for gardening tips. I’ve picked out a few useful and appealing boards to offer you gardeners out there some great browsing material to get you ready for the great outdoors. For Beginners There are plenty of tips for those just starting out. The Learning To Grow page pins practical tips about making raised beds and how to build a rain-harvesting barrel. This page for gardening beginners features a lot of good … [More]

Pinterest Favorites: Winter Wonderland

Winter is here! There’s so much to enjoy this season, not least of which is a pristine blanket of snow. But even if you don’t live in a snowy clime, you can discover the pleasures of colder weather, including hot beverages, snuggly coats, and the cozy ambiance of life indoors. Winter Beauty To get into the winter spirit, check out these Pinterest boards full of appealing winter wonder. “Glorious winter scenes” will remind you how beautiful winter can be. You’ll wish it were winter all year when you see these boards: winter imagery involving animals and snowy barns, and glorious snow-bound vistas. “Winter Wonderland” a lovely winter-themed … [More]

My New Year’s Resolution: Read More

Are you starting to think about goals and resolutions for the New Year? We’ve asked writer Katie Gustafson to tell share her thoughts about goals and resolutions for 2013. Her message: when it comes to goals simple is better! Katherine Gustafson is an award-winning writer, journalist, and editor whose articles, essays, and stories have been published in numerous print and online media, including The Christian Science Monitor, Johns Hopkins Magazine, and Best Women’s Travel Writing. An advocate for sustainable food she is the author of Change Comes To Dinner. How many people do you know who actually keep their New Year’s resolutions? I personally stopped making … [More]

Crafting Realistic New Year’s Resolutions

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you keep them? Come about the third week of January, I start hearing from folks who have already broken their resolutions, and in many cases, these folks actually sound relieved. The relief, I suspect, is the result of no longer having to meet their own unrealistic expectations of themselves. Of course, this also means that they may no longer be motivated to affect significant and necessary changes in their lives. To avoid this foolishness (and making resolutions that you can’t possibly keep is foolish) let me offer a modest proposal: Take a little extra time when crafting resolutions for 2013 … [More]

10 Fun DIY Halloween Projects

It’s time make plans for those inventive Halloween decorations soon to haunt your yard, that quirky fall wreath to grace your front door, and the most spooktacular party decorations you can find. Adults may not get to go door to door collecting scrumptious goods, but we can still have fun on Halloween! Thankfully, there’s no shortage of great, budget-friendly DIY Halloween projects online to help you enjoy Halloween. I’ve picked out a few of my favorites to inspire you. One: Bat Costume Evil can be good. The crafty people over at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories conjured up a great, “working” bat costume from an old black … [More]

Fall Traveling: Enjoy a Not so Leafy Fall Break Trip

Fall break is coming up with those delicious spare days off school. I think it’s not only a time for the kids to kick back, but another chance to travel! If your summer vacation plans didn’t quite come together or if you’re just feeling the itch to get away, fall break from school offers a good opportunity for the whole family to take a trip together. Fall break dates typically fall in October, so things will be feeling crisp and autumn-like. What a nice time to leaf peek in New England, right? But wait a minute. Destinations offering colorful views of changing leaves may be crowded and … [More]

Preparing Your Home for Autumn

Each year I ask myself, is it autumn I like best, or spring? While everything seems to burst exuberantly into life in the spring, I have to say I do crave fall with its crunch of leaves underfoot, warm pumpkin pie and nip in the air. Don’t worry. I’m not about to instruct you on how to make your own autumn potpourri using fallen leaves. Woman’s Day can do that! Despite my affection for fall, I do fully realize the season carries along with it new tasks for the homeowner, so let’s get to work. Gut Your Thoughts of Ignoring the Gutters I can’t recall a single … [More]

Why I Run with a Dog Named Sprinkles: Update on my New Year’s Resolutions

Most people have good intentions when making New Year’s resolutions, but fall short of actual accomplishment. If you’ve ever been to a gym during the month of January and February, you’ll realize there are WAY more people there than usual. Come March however, things are back to normal and the attendees are back down to the levels you know. I believe there is a key element missing in our New Year’s resolutions – accountability! If everyone was held accountable for the resolutions they make, there wouldn’t be so many who fall short of the mark. For this reason I come to you today, to report on … [More]

Summers are for Barbecuing

Somehow the first day of summer was here and already gone. How did I miss it? Before we know it, the Fourth of July will be here. That’s when I know we are in the thick of summer and all that comes with it: barbecues, swimming pools, baseball games, picnics, movies at the park, etc. Barbecue parties are one of my personal favorite parts of summer. A great barbecue party is something that just can’t be beat. On the other hand, a lackluster barbecue party can be a total bummer; with only a few details, it could have been a great one. What Makes a Barbecue … [More]

Category Archives: Seasonal