Heather says: I was folding laundry the other morning and had a realization. In the course of a month I can typically escape at least once to buy a book or have lunch by myself. Yet, I can never seem to find time or money to buy myself decent underwear. In truth they are just …
Dear Home-Ec 101 Goddesses, Help! I have a fancy party Saturday night, and this is the first time I’ll have been all duded up in years. I bought makeup today. Can you give me a crash course in applying eyeshadow? Signed, I Ain’t Girly Ivy says: Let me just warn you ahead of time that …
Heather says: Mesh bags, such as those onions are sold in, make great pot scrubbers. Be sure to snip off any metal fasteners before using them on your good pots.
How to Roast Vegetables Roasting vegetables is a simple way to bring out the flavor. I like to mix it up and use vegetables such as: turnips, carrots, parsnips, zucchini, and yellow squash. For extra flavor, I’ll slice an onion into wedges and add a garlic clove or two. Preheat the oven to 425°F, …
Ivy says: As I was laying down to go to sleep last night, the dog in the house behind me decided to start barking. And he barked. And he barked. And he barked some more, for good measure. This happens just about every night, but with the cooler weather, it is worse for everyone that …
Dear Home Ec 101:My husband and I both grew up in homes where the father worked, and the mother largely stayed home and attended to all of the household duties. We both work and sometimes have a hard time agreeing on who should be doing which chores, how often, and how well. I tend to …
Heather says: Once a week I try to serve a completely kid friendly meal. One of their favorite side dishes is absurdly simple and is still healthier than hitting the golden arches. Ranch Potato Wedges 4 medium potatoes 2 tsp olive oil 1* – 2 TBSP ranch seasoning *We like ours lightly seasoned. Preheat the …
Heather says: For those that don’t know, I have three very young children. This equates to the occasional no good, very bad day. Today I mistakenly assumed I could hurry into the grocery store with the kids, grab one item, pay, and leave with my sanity intact. Not only did a complete stranger end up …
Ivy says: Ah, the urban legend. We got an email from a reader concerning an email forward that has been floating around for awhile. It reads like most urban legend stories, a warning about the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and a similar product by ScotchBrite. Our reader figured the story was untrue, and writes that …
Ivy says: Today is my dad’s birthday. He’s 56 years old today! His own father died when he was 53 years old, so every birthday now is truly a celebration that my dad is still around. Dad’s got end stage renal failure, so we are truly happy he’s still around. No matter how happy we …