Should I Replant My Real Christmas Tree?

Should I Replant My Real Christmas Tree?

Every Christmas season growing up, we visited the Lion’s Club Christmas tree lot at Foodland, our local grocery store. A fire burned in a metal drum to warm the attendants, and the smell of pine and smoke filled the air. When choosing our tree, we considered the...
Hot Pepper Jelly

Hot Pepper Jelly

  Three summers ago, we had a particularly cold and rainy summer. Spaghetti squash vines grew up the fence, mingled with the cucumbers, but never bloomed. Mom picked the last of the green tomatoes, and baked oodles of green tomato pies to stock her freezer. We...
How to Make Time for Projects

How to Make Time for Projects

  Saving money on projects always entails some amount of DIY, which means TIME. Sometimes the short-term negative reinforcement (the momentary pleasure we receive in avoiding tasks) derails us from our long-term goals. Here are 7 of my tried and true tips for...
Edible Valentine Gift Ideas

Edible Valentine Gift Ideas

  I value practicality over frivolity. I love decor that is both beautiful and functional. These concepts guide our design plans: a centerpiece of edible fruit rather than a bowl of trinkets, herb planters instead of ornamental flowers. So I combed through the...
Why Plant Columnar Apple Trees?

Why Plant Columnar Apple Trees?

We shelled out over $300 on 6 columnar apple trees, which prompted me to ask about cheaper alternatives. As my husband reminds me over and over, sometimes the most frugal option is not the cheapest. We have to account for our design plans, our goals and our time....

Creating Food Security

In rural West Virginia 100 years ago, families had property, but little income. “Putting up food” was necessary. Both of my grandmothers had huge gardens with rows of corn, pole beans, lettuce, cabbage, potatoes, turnips, Big Boy tomatoes, and spinach. I...