Back to Life, Back to the Menu Plan

Heather says: Back to life, back to reality, not the whole song, just that one line is on repeat in my head. In the last 45 days I’ve been all over the country attending work events, conferences, meeting bloggers for my day job, and visiting family. While I had some fantastic meals (and wine) on …

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Windows: A Home-Ec 101 Guide

We might wish we could say, “I don’t do windows,” but we don’t have that privilege if we want to keep our house looking nice and our view unobstructed. It can be a rewarding job to shine the glass, wash the blinds, and let the sunshine in. Following are some articles full of tips about cleaning …

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Get Ready to Grill

Dear Home Ec 101, I think I’m going to bite the bullet and fire up the grill this weekend. I’m tired of waiting for my spouse to cook something. Do you have any tips for a beginner? Signed, Grilling in Groten Heather says: Hands down, the most important tip I have for a noobie grill …

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Walls: A Home-Ec 101 Guide

They surround us, protect us, and shelter us. Walls also take a lot of abuse from dirty hands, shoes, feet, and the ends of brooms/mops that are taller than my children. Lately, I’ve heard myself saying, “Please take your feet off the wall – or – Please don’t put your dirty hands all over the wall.” Is …

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Home Ec 101 Hits Home

Does anyone remember the movie The Money Pit? I now watch this with an all-too-knowing chuckle. Many of you know that I moved into what I refer to as the “fixer-upper” back in October. As there are some truly awful people out on the interwebz I was not very open about the exact state of …

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How to Iron: A Home-Ec 101 Guide

Stephanie says: Let’s work to iron out the wrinkles. I love ironing. I do. Roll your eyes. Scoff. Mutter, “whatever, who loves ironing?” I do. There is something satisfying about taking a pile of clean clothes and one by one getting all the wrinkles out, then putting them away. I don’t iron every morning. Heavens …

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Household Odors: A Home-Ec 101 Guide

Scientists say that people can smell at least one trillion distinct scents, scent cells are renewed every 30 to 60 days, and women have a better sense of smell than men. Combine all those things together with a house full of people and there is potential for A LOT of odors. On top of all that …

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Breakfast the Most Important Meal of the Day

Dear Home Ec 101, I have an 8 am Philosphy class, but I find that a cup of coffee and the crust from last night’s pizza is never enough to power me through my demanding 12 credit minimum. Do you have any no-effort suggestions, Taster’s Choice is pretty taxing already. Signed, Anemic in Akron Heather …

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The Laundry Room: A Home-Ec 101 Guide

It’s great to have a house with a laundry room. These machines do a lot of work for our family. Why, then, do so many people hate doing laundry? I am so glad I don’t have to use a pot of boiling water or a wringer to wash all of our clothes or worse, have …

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