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Posts Tagged ‘kitchen tips’

January 9, 2015 Edition In the stillness of a winter garden, where many plants rest to conserve their energy, songbirds flit here and there while singing their songs. When skies are more grey than blue and when landscapes are more drab than vivid, these birds spread joy by serenading us all day long. When was the last time you went outside just to listen to the birds sing?

#1 – Feed the Birds
Winter Feeding Birds In North America During the winter, don’t forget to keep your bird feeders full and provide a source of fresh water for our faithful little troubadours. If you are wondering what type of food to feed birds in North America, Bird Watcher’s Digest has a list of Top 10 Foods For Winter Bird Feeding.

#2 – Winter in Japan
Winter in Japan When it’s cold, space heaters and sweaters are my best friends. I rarely heat my entire house, because it seems like a waste of energy when I know I’m going to be in only one room for a significant period of time. After reading the interesting article How to Cut Out Home Heating Oil—Japanese Style, I have greater appreciation for my cozy warm house and a newfound appreciation for what families can gain by not having central heat.

#3 – Free As A Bird
Vandog Traveller Could you quit your job, convert an old rusty van into your new home, travel, and be free as a bird? That’s what Mike Hudson did. In 2013, he quit his job and began the painstaking task of converting an aging van. With the conversion complete, Mike is out and about discovering the world. Check out his blog called Vandog Traveller for details on the conversion and for tales of his travels. I love his list of wants: Vanddog's list of dreams

#4 – More Awesome Kitchen Hacks
16 Awesome Kitchen Hacks If you’re like me, you’ve probably tried many kitchen hacks and discovered that some of them worked and some of them didn’t work. Don’t get discouraged by the past failures, because there are always more hacks to try! Here are 16 Useful Kitchen Hacks You Need In Your Life. Let me know which ones you like the best.

#5 – Break Your Shell
“The bird dares to break the shell, then the shell breaks open and the bird can fly openly. This is the simplest principle of success. You dream, you dare and and you fly.”
― Israelmore Ayivor

Now go and spread joy!

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California Poppies A morning stroll leads me past a bend of wildflowers. Small spikes of purple lupines contrast beautifully with rounded mounds of orange poppies. One by one,  the tightly-wound poppy buds gradually unfurl as the morning sun warms them. Larger petals catch the breeze and flutter about like dancers with capes. They dance to the sweet melodies of birds, adding perfection to the moment. The day is young, but this day holds promise. How can it not, with such a beautiful beginning?

#1 – Making Napkin Roses
Making Napkin Roses Beautify your home by bringing fresh flowers indoors and make these napkin roses to add a lovely touch to your spring table. Written instructions here.

#2 – Fruit Hacks
Fruit Hacks I can vouch for some of these hacks and am curious to try some of the other 21 Fruit Hacks That Will Make Your Life Easier. I’m game for anything that makes life easier, aren’t you?

#3 – The House on the Hill

Behind a Little House

Manuel Cosentino

Italian artist Manuel Cosentino visited a little house on a hill, over a two-year period, to photograph it against dramatic natural elements. Although the little house stands small in stature compared to the vastness of its backdrop, it acts as an anchor to the perpetual motion of time and weather. To see more of Cosentino’s Behind a Little House project, click here.

#4 – Would You Stay Here?
Giraffe Manor in Kenya If eating breakfast with giraffes sounds like an interesting way to start the day, then you need to plan a visit to the Giraffe Manor in Kenya. I’m not keen on any type of “before you die” wording and I can’t figure out why people don’t just say “while you enjoy life.” That being said, after viewing 48 Epic Dream Hotels to Visit Before You Die, I added a few more places to visit while I’m enjoying my life!

#5 – No Matter What, Wildflowers Still Bloom
“No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere.”
Sheryl Crow

Have a lovely weekend. Now go and spread joy!

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It’s bleak and wet outside, but I’m thinking of the beautiful sunny days ahead. My garden will be lovely in the spring, but only if I put in the work now!

#1 – A Garden Tip
In his book A Year In The Life Of A Rose, Rayford Clayton Reddell suggests stripping (cutting not ripping off) the foliage of your rose bushes two weeks before pruning. He states, “When leaves are removed from rosebushes, the plant is given a signal to rejuvenate the foliar process immediately.” The best time to prune your roses? Reddell says, “Prune as soon as possible once dormancy is safely broken, that is, when you’re sure there won’t be another hard freeze.”

#2 – Recycle With Freecycle
Got a new Blu-Ray DVD player for Christmas, but don’t know what to do with the old one? Check to see if there’s a Freecycle group in your area. Freecycle’s internet site claims: “The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,878 groups with 6,913,000 members across the globe. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them’s good people). Membership is free.” Make sure to be smart and protect your safety and privacy when posting to any list or participating in any exchange.

#3 – A Kitchen Tip
When using honey in recipes try spraying your measuring spoon or measuring cup with non-stick vegetable spray first. The honey will pour out more easily.

#4 – Say Hello
Here’s how to say hello or good day in these different languages:
Greek – yassou
French – bonjour
Spanish – hola
Italian – buongiorno
Portuguese – olá
Chinese – nǐ hǎo

#5 – A Quote
I would disagree with those who say we cannot change the past. We can heal it, transform it, utilize it, build on it – any number of creative things.
Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way

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