Shelf Design 101
My design style is warm, modern, eclectic. When I decorate shelves, I start with a theme or color palette. Then mimic and repeat my accessories with similar pieces or coordinating vessels. I also add pops of greenery/organic succulents to soften the openings. Less is definitely more, but most important is the scale and overall theme. That is what I believe draws your eye in…
Sporty Snacks
A good number of sports involve the use of a ball. In honor of the sports issue, I'm sharing two sphere-shaped snacks. These fun size appetizers will be a hit with any crowd. Each of these recipes makes 18 bites. My boys loved the chicken bites and had a hard time limiting themselves to three each. For a crowd, you…
Strawberry Spinach Salad
This delicious salad is my go-to side item for any summer potluck or barbecue. Every time I serve it, someone asks for the recipe. I’m happy to share it, and always mention that if you are short on time, buy candied cashews and wonton salad toppers. You can skip to step 3, but the homemade strawberry dressing is worth the…
Mrs. Ronneburg’s Cinnamon Rolls
The heavenly smell of baking cinnamon rolls makes a house feel like a home. When my friend Nancy Ronneburg shared this quick and easy cinnamon roll recipe with me, I was delighted. When other aspects of my house make me want to run and hide, in under 45 minutes, I can have a delicious treat for my family and a…
The Benefits of Honey
Honey is great for your skin! Did you know that raw organic honey is great for your skin too? Honey has natural antibacterial properties, so it is an effective acne treatment option, and it is loaded with antioxidants and enzymes, so it helps boost your skin’s immunity and fights free radicals to help slow down aging.
December 2016 Parting Thoughts
Muffled voices from the living room trickled into my childhood bedroom. I was 5 years old. Groggy and hair askew, I sauntered out in my Little Mermaid pajamas into a scene of bustle and clamor. The house was packed with people: my aunt, uncle and cousin. Both of my parents. Members of my aunt's extended family visiting from out of…
The Friendliest Place on Earth
I had just moved to Boise. I didn’t know my way around yet… Where should I do my grocery shopping? Where’s the nearest post office? What church should I attend? Time to get started, I drove to the local Winco ready to conduct my first “audition." Perhaps this would be my new grocery store.
5 DIY Car Care Projects
It’s no secret that regular maintenance helps prolong the life and performance of your vehicle, but you may be surprised by how many routine maintenance tasks you can complete by yourself at home. Get in the garage this winter and tackle that cabin fever with these DIY car care projects that can be done all at once and not only…
Traveling Light is a Heavy Task
I've always been one of those "travel light" snobs. Nothing beats that free feeling of weaving briskly through airports with a dainty spinner grip in one hand, and a feathery boarding pass in the other. Pre-flight, I always notice overburdened pilgrims lined up at the check-in cattle pens. They stand three, motionless, waiting to weigh in their Samsonite beasts. I…
May 2016 Parting Thoughts
A year ago, my company offered me a promotion—a showcase account, more money, opportunity to grow. The position was in Washington, which meant moving from Boise, where we’d lived for 30 years. My wife and I visited the new place on a sunny glass-clear March day. The job looked challenging, but in a good way. We questioned everything else—about finding…
Entertaining With Your Shoes Off Doesn’t Equal The Barefoot Contessa
Okay, let’s talk entertaining, but I am not Martha Stewart. I envy the Barefoot Contessa, I’m overwhelmed by Rachel Ray, LOVE Emeril, and want to have my very own Crate & Barrel/Pottery Barn/Williams Sonoma combination of the world’s biggest pantry! I need personal in-home cooking lessons, a maid, two dishwashers, a large patio stocked with wonderful furniture, a personal trainer,…
Join the Great Purge & Clean of 2016
Happy New Year! Now that you’ve got your fitness and wellness goals firmly in place, it’s time to look closely at the space around you and ask yourself, “Are things looking a little cluttered?” or “Are my closets bursting at the seams?” Why not set a goal to de-clutter and, more importantly, to simplify this year?
Mobilize the Forces
During a recent 12 hour drive, I was able to spend the better part of a day listening to one of my very favorite voices. Tom Brokaw narrated his book, The Time of Our Lives, as I drove my boys through several southern states as we made our way to the sunny shores of western Florida. My boys were plugged…
Home Real Home
I’m a creative. I pretend to be a designer. My entire job is to encourage women that they can create a beautiful, meaningful home. I’ve done it all wrong but I’m learning that it’s really not about the stuff at all, even when making a home. If I want my home to be a place of connection, I’ll ask genuine questions…
A HOME BREWER’S PERSPECTIVE
My adventures in brewing and beer began in the mid 90s. At the time I worked for a small company in Solana Beach, California. A couple guys at work started home brewing, and would bring their beer in to sample on Friday afternoons. I was given a basic home brew kit as a gift, and soon my version of Dr.…
I Live Next Door to What’s-His-Name
This month is our street’s annual block party. What shall we bring? Something meatless, of course. Fortunately there are other vegetarians on our street, so we don’t feel like complete odd balls. But the only way we found that out was by attending a previous block party. That’s where we found out that we have Presbyterians and Libertarians and a…
To Fly is to Live
Words Todd B. Natenberg “So who actually read the waiver before they signed it?” the instructor asked. Sheepish grins crossed my entire class of some 10 people. “Exactly,” he continued, “because we know if you had, not one of you would still be here.” The group erupted in laughter. “Now we are going to watch … Continued
Adventure is a Nine-Letter Word
The word "adventure" conjures up different images for different people, and let's face it; some images are just prettier than others. For my hard-core outdoorsy friends, adventure means tackling the Appalachian Trail with three pounds of dried beans, a tarp the size of a Kleenex and a compass. Just to fluff things up a bit, they might take a change…