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Home Sweet-Smelling Home

The interior of your home may look like it just got ripped to shreds by a tornado, but it doesn’t have to smell like the aftermath of Mother Nature’s fury. Right now, Pier 1 Imports is practically giving away the most beautiful potpourri sachets filled with incredible scents ranging from Citrus Cilantro (my personal favorite) and Crisp Bamboo (another fave) to Asian Spice and Pomegranate. I know because I was just there yesterday stocking up on stocking stuffers. One dollar per sachet. Score! While I’m not encouraging you to live like a sloth and mask the stench that may be … Continue reading →

Home and Garden Week in Review: Sep. 18-24

Here’s a list of this week’s titles. Everything from Glassware to Energy and all kinds of other stuff in between. To see these articles in full, just click here for the Home Blog archive, and click on the titles you’d like to read. September 18 * Glassware: Whatever Does It Mean? * Dining Room Equipment: Tablecloths * A Unique Way To Bring Peace To Your Home * Go with the Flow with a Pass Through September 19 * Not Your Basic Bookends * Measuring Cups: A Formidable Past * Sassy Sinks * Your Home: A to Z * Stainmaster Carpet … Continue reading →

Sachet: Sweet Smelling To Any Home

Sachet has an old and well respected, sweet-smelling past, dating back to the 15th century when the French upper classes lined their trunks containing elaborate garments of silk and velvet that could not be laundered with scented spices and powders. Daily bathing was at the time considered unhealthy, and the sachet as well as perfumes helped to tone down body odor so strong that it would have made any self-respecting herring faint. Many pieces of valuable clothing were often stained in those days as the essential ils inherent in the raw spices eventually leached out. Sachets came in vogue because … Continue reading →

Tossing the Bouquet and Garter

One wedding tradition I didn’t follow at my own reception was the tossing of the bouquet and garter. I didn’t like the idea that it symbolized women scrabbling to be the next to get married, or having Jon remove an article of my clothing in front of everyone. If we look at the origins of this particular wedding tradition, we can see how it evolved. Traditionally, brides carried a bouquet that contained strong-smelling herbs and spices. This was, in part, another way of warding off evil spirits, but it could also serve to sweeten the proceedings if any of the … Continue reading →

Toxins Get the Boot

I hate toxins. I mean, I guess everyone should, but I really hate to use anything in the house that I think might be toxic – any kind of cleaner, repair fluid, or pesticide. But, sometimes you use toxins that you just don’t think about. Here are a few things you might be using around the house and alternatives: Antibacterial Soap That’s right – something you think may be keeping you safe may actually be harming you. That’s because some antibacterial soap contains triclosan. Triclosan may mess up your thyroid functions and hormone levels. In fact, researchers have discovered that … Continue reading →

Morning Sickness

We’ve been charting my cycles since the beginning of our marriage. First to postpone pregnancy, finally after two years to achieve pregnancy. Thanks to our charts and my basal body temperature, we knew we were pregnant without taking a home pregnancy test. Still we took the test anyway to confirm. The next day morning sickness hit me like a ton of bricks. We had made stir fry for dinner the night before. Just smelling the left overs made me want to vomit. The thought of eating red onions or edamame made me want to yak. The smell of sweet potatoes … Continue reading →

Discovering New Places: The Really Big Field Trip

This month, we went on a Really Big Field Trip to Costa Rica. It was wet, it was windy, it was…well, the weather was actually quite similar to our usual weather in the Pacific Northwest, except that it was a lot lighter and a fair bit warmer. Being in a new environment is another big part of going on a Really Big Field Trip. A lot of what I value about travel is the physical memory of being in a place. It’s not always about the culture. It’s also about the feeling of standing in a certain place and getting … Continue reading →

Comparing Mops

When Swiffer introduced its WetJet mops to the world I didn’t waste any time adding it to my mop collection. Yes, collection. Over the years I have accumulated a series of mops, each touting itself as the “latest” and “greatest” cleaning tool. Swiffer’s WetJet kit features a dual-nozzle sprayer, which emits a solution designed to “break up and dissolve tough messes.” However, it was its ad line about being “smarter than a mop and bucket,” that prompted me to give it a try. Like many homeowners, who can’t afford to hire help to clean their floors, I don’t exactly enjoy … Continue reading →

Dealing with Holiday Messes: Wine

The holiday season officially kicks off with next week’s Thanksgiving celebrations. Soon your home will be packed with friends and family toasting the good times shared in 2010. Wine and other celebratory beverages are common at holiday parties, but unfortunately, there are times when the fun goes too far and spilled red wine stains your holiday festivities. Don’t let a vino stains put a damper on your seasonal fun. Rather, arm yourself with these cleaning tips aimed at removing red wine stains from a variety of surfaces: Salt: If red wine spills on carpet or fabric upholstery tend to it … Continue reading →

Make Money While You Clean

Is your house immaculately clean? Do you give family and friends unsolicited advice on how to get their marble countertops to shine like a teen’s braces? If so, then you might consider making a profit from your cleaning knowledge. A recent study shows that the number of house cleaning businesses has nearly tripled in the last five years. The study also shows that most of the new additions to the profession feature staffs of three people or less, which means that if you are good at what you do there’s no need to hire a ton of employees when you … Continue reading →