Category Archives: home and garden

Sun-dried Laundry: Another Reason to Love the Sun

Oh I just love the smell of fresh sun-dried laundry! After years of using a rope concoction in my backyard, I finally broke down and bought a rotary clothesline. I’ve used it for about six months now and I’m happy to report that I’m very pleased with it. After researching all the brands from the […]

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Brew Tea in a French Press

Some of the best teas only come in loose leaf form. Having used a myriad of tea brewing paraphernalia, the French press is still my tea maker of choice. It is non-electric, economical, easy to clean, and does not take counter space. Though the French press is meant for brewing coffee, the same concepts apply […]

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Chopsticks for Kids

Teach your kids how to use chopsticks with these fun kid-sized chopstick helpers (available at Asian markets and grocery stores). The rings help kids and adults alike learn how to hold chopsticks. Not only do they make meals ‘fun’, using them helps kids develop their fine motor skills which helps them with their writing skills […]

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Instead of Disposable Plates, Use Baskets and Liners

Quizno’s, Schlotzky’s, other deli shops and just about every casual Tex-Mex restaurant use some kind of basket and liner to serve food to their customers. They are sturdy, produce slightly less waste, and don’t require as much cleaning – perfect for picnics and outdoor eating. You can find them at restaurant supply stores. At Acemart […]

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Homemade Upside-Down Tomato Planter

My husband saw an info-mercial on upside down planters late one night and thought it would be a fun project to do with the kids. It was very easy to make but not very pretty. It was made out of a gallon jug container with about a 1.5″ diameter opening for the tomato plant. He […]

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Kid-friendly Tableware

Get your kids durable tableware from the most unlikely place: restaurant supply stores. Take note from kid-friendly restaurants. They are all about stretching the dollar and serving kids in tableware that can be used and abused. In Austin, head to Acemart Restaurant Supply Store. Here are my top picks:

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Cold Refreshing All Natural Soda

In a previous post on homemade soda, I raved about the Soda-Club soda machine used to make your own carbonated water. From now until the end of this month, you can save on your online order with the following promo codes: Save $10 – use code POPDADDY Save 10% – use code SUMMERSTOCK Tips for […]

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Tomato Plants and Cage Design

After years of experimenting with different layouts, we’ve settled on a ‘U’ or horseshoe arrangement for our cage plants. You can reach each plant from all angles and it’s very kid-friendly. Our kids love hanging inside the U. We use 6″ grid cattle panel welded wire fencing for all our cages and plant eggplants and […]

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Onion Harvest and French Onion Soup Recipe

I just pulled out all of our onions this week. It is our first big harvest for this year. Onions are very easy to grow in Central Texas. We plant the onion sets very close together and use the thinned out ones as green onions. The ones I just pulled are from our edible garden […]

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Earth Day 2009

Woohoo! Wish everyday was Earth Day. Here’s an easy idea you can implement: purchase a rain barrel and start harvesting rainwater for your garden use. Conserve water, save on water bills, and your plants will reward you for it (they do better with pH neutral rainwater than municipal water). In many cities, you can even […]

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