Crocheted Slouchy Beanie with a Puff Stitch

Pin itI have been getting into crochet lately. I find it easier for me than knitting, and I can easily make such interesting stitch patterns. What I don’t have these days is the patience to do a huge blanket, or even a long scarf. So hats have been my fad for the past few months! [...]

Easy Super Bowl Cake for ‘Real Life’ Bakers

Pin itI got a call from a local newspaper reporter, who asked about ideas to save money on your Super Bowl Party this year.  After blubbering for just a few seconds, I came up with a couple of suggestions for her.  Our conversation got my mind going in a million different directions with ideas for parties! So, [...]

How to wear cheap nail polish

Pin itI’m just not the manicure-every-week kind of person. It’s expensive, and who has that kind of time? But I do like to have cool nails every now and then. We know the drill, though. Unless you get the “good stuff” you’ll be peeling off chips in a day. Well, I have a secret to [...]

Southern Chow Chow from the Garden

Pin itWhen this Northeastern Italian/Irish gal married her Southern husband , she got a proper introduction to southern food.  I went from saying, “So… you just eat the pinto beans by themselves?” and “What the heck is Chow Chow?“, to insisting on stone ground cornmeal for my homemade cornbread and singing praises for beans in [...]

How Do You Deal With Dinner as a Working (OH) Mom

Pin itAll moms work. HARD. But when you work outside the home each day, dinner can be a significant challenge. Honestly, I thought that sometimes it was difficult to get dinner on the table as a Work-at-Home Mom. But now, since I get home around 5-5:30 each day, it kills me to get dinner on [...]

Garden Report!

Pin itTime for a garden report! Our redneck gardening tricks worked for a while, but the Caution Tape did not daunt an army of deer who badly wanted our green beans. Back to the fencing for next year. We did manage to get some veggies this week, and still have lots growing, despite run away [...]

Italian Sausage and Onions Recipe

Pin itYes, Virginia, you CAN have an Italian recipe that does not include pasta and marinara! I learned this cooking method from Joe.  Joe is the lovingly temperamental proprietor of Joe’s Italian Kitchen in Boone, NC. Back when I hosted a local TV show, the segment I filmed with Joe was one of my favorites! [...]

Have Breakfast with Me and Ovaltine Friday!

Pin itI’m so excited for Type A Parent Conference, and if you’re not going, you’re probably tired of hearing me talk about it! However, even if you’re not going to the conference, you can join me, Brandy, Brittany, and Jenn, along with  our conference sponsors Ovaltine for Friday morning Breakfast ! (You know- “Be sure to drink [...]

Easy Herb Gardening: Container Garden

Pin itAs I was chatting on Twitter last night, I mentioned that I love cooking with herbs from my garden.  Some of my friends were very impressed, and I thought, “I bet they don’t know how easy it is!”  So I made this video, showing you my container herb garden, and how easy it is [...]

Keys to Redneck Gardening

Pin itOne of the reasons I love living in the country is having a large vegetable garden. One of the other reasons is that it can be far enough away from the house so it doesn’t have to look good. You really don’t need any of those fancy schmancy raised beds or fencing, beautiful scarecrows [...]

Backyard Barbecue Kits: Teacher Gifts under $5

Pin itThere’s always a parent at each school. This parent is the one that elicits oohs and aahs from the teachers when they realize her child is in their class. She is always there to volunteer, and gives the best teacher gifts at Christmas and the end of the year. While I am not this [...]

Summer Grill-tastic Recipe Swap…Share Recipes, WIN Prizes!

Pin it Each year, when the grass turns green, the sun stays out longer, and the gentle breeze blows though the mountains, I get excited about one thing: GRILLING! There’s something about cooking my food outside on an open flame (even if that flame is powered by propane), that’s makes me feel alive. Although I [...]

Make Homemade Baby Food, Hide Nutrients in Toddler’s Food, too!

Pin itWhen My first daughter was born, I tried making her baby food. I really loved being in control of the ingredients and using fruits and veggies I found on sale. However, I didn’t love how difficult it was! Back then, they didn’t have the cool products on the market these days that make moms’ [...]

Fool-Proof Homemade New York Style Cheesecake

Pin itNew York Style Cheesecake has always been in the “I’ll never be able to make that, so I might as well not try” category, for me.  As I was having dinner with my dear friend Jamie, she told me about her first experience making a cheesecake from scratch.  I listened in amazement as she [...]

The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg!

Pin itI am re-posting this from last year, but I think it is very timely for Easter! If you still need some Easter ideas, check out this post with some great Easter books and ideas! OK, Folks! After years of perfecting the hard-boiling of eggs, I am officially going to share THE way to do [...]

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