I am so grateful for the house my husband and I own. We are blessed to have a home we can afford that is cozy and has every feature we need. Though we are quite pleased with it, you’ll never see it grace the cover of a home decorating magazine. Why? There is nothing remarkable about the architecture of the house, certain features disclose the … [Read more...] about Hospitality in a Less-Than-Perfect House
Archives for 2013
Benefits of Walking for Exercise
It may not be as suave as Zumba or as exhilarating as kickboxing, but walking is an effective form of exercise. In fact, experts say that it can achieve benefits similar to those achieved by running if it is performed frequently and for long enough periods (at least 30 minutes on five days each week). As long as you have sturdy shoes and an … [Read more...] about Benefits of Walking for Exercise
Navigating the Nutrition Maze: Embracing a Food Philosophy Without Judging Others
Our culture is rife with various food philosophies, which are the beliefs, attitudes, and values a person holds regarding food selection, cooking, and eating. The philosophies seem innumerable—real food, traditional food, organic, fair trade, free range, unpasteurized, locavore, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, etc. While the health and environmental … [Read more...] about Navigating the Nutrition Maze: Embracing a Food Philosophy Without Judging Others
Making Unpleasant Housecleaning Tasks More Enjoyable
There are women who claim they love all aspects of keeping their homes. I’m not sure if I should admire them or suspect them to be liars. Either way, I’m simply not a fan of all housecleaning tasks. Most tasks are things I don’t mind and a few I actually enjoy. Sweeping and mopping, though, are tasks I just don’t like. I never feel like I can … [Read more...] about Making Unpleasant Housecleaning Tasks More Enjoyable
Ridiculous Kitchen Gadgets
For a while now I have had somewhat of a prejudice against single-purpose kitchen gadgets. I tend to be focused on utility, so I prefer gadgets that have numerous functions. There are a few exceptions, of course. One example is a coffee maker. Besides heating water or making tea, there’s not much beyond making coffee to do with the appliance. … [Read more...] about Ridiculous Kitchen Gadgets
The Significance of Standby Power
I’ve read that minimizing the use of standby power (sometimes termed vampire or phantom power) can decrease energy bills. I’m always looking for ways to save a few dollars, so I turned to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to see what the fuss is all about. What is standby power? Many pieces of electronic equipment continue to use … [Read more...] about The Significance of Standby Power
Rampant Reusing: Old Socks
I knew it was time to buy new socks when I could feel the cold tile floor against my bare feet after putting on a pair of my old socks. Before throwing out my old ones, I looked into some ways I could reuse them. 10 Ways to Reuse Old Socks Use socks to customize flower pots. Simply slip a sock over a pot and cut the toe portion off so … [Read more...] about Rampant Reusing: Old Socks
Communicating Opinions to Elected Officials
Which political issues are on your mind? Gun control? Immigration reform? Gay marriage? The sustainability of Social Security? Have you communicated your opinions on these topics to your elected officials? I’ve never been short on opinions, yet I’ve rarely taken the time to express them to the decision makers who represent me. This … [Read more...] about Communicating Opinions to Elected Officials
