After my  vegetable garden, the thing I am most proud of (and get the most pleasure from) is my herb garden. I love using herbs in cooking and I love herbal tea. But buying fresh herbs can be expensive and the selection is often limited. So I grow a variety of herbs to use in…

We live in a disposable society. Just about everything that comes into our house is easily (and readily) replaced with something better, newer, cheaper or brighter. But our grandparents (who lived through some hard times) were just the opposite–they found a use and reuse for just about everything that came into the house. They were…

[Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. These are just my observations and experiences. Your experience may be different. You should always consult with a reliable health care professional when treating any illness.] It’s the cold and flu season and already too many of my friends have been stricken. I hope you get out of…

For some, prescription medication is a matter of life or death. If you have a medical condition that requires you to regularly take medication, you should consider having an extra reserve of those essential drugs. Good reasons to have a stockpile of medications During a disaster you may find it hard to refill a prescription.…

It can be a challenge getting herbs to survive our Midwest winters. But it looks like most of my herbs survived the winter OK. I mulched the St. John’s Wort and the Arnica Montana last fall. Both were new plants last year and both are hardy to Zone 5 (we live in Zone 4 and…

Sprouting beans turns the dry bean into a fresh vegetable with more vitamins and a brighter flavor. It’s the perfect thing for late winter, when you are running out of fresh vegetable from the garden or any time you want an extra punch of nutrition in your menu. Added bonus: if you typically have trouble…

I know, I know. Making your own personal care, beauty products or cosmetics is just a little too much, even for an avid do-it-yourselfer. But it really is fun. And it’s pretty easy, too. Here are two books that have really inspired me: The first is Organic Body Care: 175 Homemade Herbal Formulas for Glowing…

At the height of summer it can seem like there are more herbs coming from your garden than you could ever use in a hundred years. But you don’t want to waste a single bit of herb goodness coming out of your garden this year. So what can you do to make sure you get…

Thrift stores have become all the rage. And what’s not to like? You can get some super amazing bargains and you are helping the environment by using what would otherwise end up in the landfill. I’ve written before (like here and here) about some of the great deals to look for at thrift stores.* This past…

Garden veggies in April? How would you like to be eating fresh vegetables a full 4-6 weeks before the rest of your fellow gardeners? You can with cold frames. What’s a cold frame? Basically, it’s a mini greenhouse that helps warm the soil and protect plants during the cold transitioning months of early spring and late…

Your goal this month is to simplify. That’s it. Just. Simplify. Stuff costs more than money People are beginning to recognize the emotional, spiritual and financial weight of consumerism. That is why there is a surge in blogs, Facebook pages and websites that encourage and extol minimalism and non-consumerism. There are several ways to meet…

Compost time! It’s the height of the garden season and an important component to gardening is composting. Don’t let anything go to waste—compost it. Every scrap of fruit and vegetable waste in your kitchen should go into your compost pile. Keep an ice cream bucket or any other container with a lid underneath or near…

Just in time for Easter Just for you and just in time for Easter: A free guide to coloring Easter eggs using natural ingredients. Between now and April 30th, you can download  my guide Natural Dyes for Easter Eggs for free! Happy Easter! Some of the many colors you can get using natural dyes. Dyeing…

Should you worry about a pandemic? A few years ago there was a lot of buzz in the news about Swine Flu (H1N1) epidemics and quarantines. Before that the concern was Bird Flu and before that it was SARS. There’s no way to know with certainty how much of a threat any of these diseases…

Yeah, yeah I know.  You think I’ve gone all earth-mother, touchy feely.  But I believe that we have a stewardship to keep our environment clean and our earth healthy.  And being careful with our environment is not only more sustainable for the environment (and thus healthier for me and my family), but it also saves…

This is the season of coughs, colds and bugs. Take steps now to prevent winter bugs from taking you down and be prepared when they do. Prevent illnesses: Wash your hands. Frequently. Most winter illnesses can be avoided with proper hand washing. And don’t rush. Wash with soap and running water, scrubbing for at least…