Home & Garden

It looked so easy. After all, how hard could it be? You bury a few seeds, dump some water on them and wait, right? Apparently not. I must confess that I have failed at one of the most basic and essential tasks mankind has ever adopted: growing food. If the Titanic were a garden, I […]

As the gardening season gets into full swing, we can be assured of a few things: flowers will bloom, weeds will grow and our bodies will ache. However, preventing some aches and pains is within our control. Gardening could be viewed as a workout. Therefore, consult your doctor before starting an exercise program. Also discuss […]

Ban the beige! That’s the message from designer Genevieve Gorder for do-it-yourself home decorators this fall. The star of HGTV’s popular “Dear Genevieve” makeover show, Gorder also transformed the homes of desperate design-deprived viewers on TV’s “Trading Spaces” earlier in her career.  She can turn a dingy laundry into an elegant foyer and create a […]

What tastes better on a cool fall day than an apple plucked right off the tree? Well, maybe a fresh apple pie, homemade applesauce, or apple butter. This month the fruit is ripening in backyards and commercial pick-your-own orchards. Besides tasting good, apples are also good for you. They’re fat-free, sodium-free, and cholesterol-free.  A medium-sized […]

Until the end of World War II, most gardeners saved their own vegetable and flower seeds because high-quality seeds were not always readily available. Today, affordable high-quality seeds are available at garden shops and in seed catalogs everywhere, and most gardeners prefer to buy fresh seeds each year from a reliable company. However, a few […]

For a sea of spring color invest now Planting bulbs this fall will pay off in the springBy Vicky Katz Whitaker It’s apple-picking time! By Jennifer Fishburn When to save your seedsThings to know if you’re a gardener who believes in self-sufficiencyBy Jennifer Fishburn Interior design tips fromHGTV’s Genevieve Gorder By Sharon Mosley  Sleep on itTry before […]

Do you toss and turn? Do you wake up stiff and sore? Have you slept better elsewhere? It may be time for a new mattress – and finding the perfect fit requires a test drive.     We spend more than a third of our lives in bed. That’s a lot of use, and an older […]

You don’t have to sink a lot of time and effort to create a sea of color in your garden next spring and summer. Flowering bulbs will do the hard work for you over the winter, gardening experts say, provided you get the bulbs in the ground before the ground freezes solid. “Bulbs need time […]

The best $300 my fiancée and I spent in the process of buying our first home did not contribute in the slightest to the actual purchase price. Rather, it kept us from purchasing a home that would have been a disaster to live in. The modest fee was the cost of the home inspection on […]

So, you’ve closed on a home and that federal first-time homebuyer’s tax credit should be coming your way soon. Now what? First of all, realize it might take several weeks for the tax-credit form to get processed. Even then, some homeowners will only see the credit as savings on their taxes, so don’t necessarily expect […]

The warm prospect of more affordable home prices, attractive mortgage rates and a stable economy will likely draw more real estate shoppers to the market this spring. But it’s the opportunity for cash back in their pockets that will turn many shoppers into buyers — and quickly. The potential benefit is huge: as much as […]