It’s been almost two years since I canceled our Fios service. We were spending $150 a month to watch television, plus another $130 for phone and internet. Ridiculous, right? It was something that bothered my conscience, being that we were dealing with a heavy mortgage payment and had all of the standard bills and kid …
We have been living in our house for 8 years now. As finances permitted, we’ve done the landscaping – front yard first, and last year we started the back. It’s looking pretty nice now, and this is where I spend most of my at-home time. Whenever we have a barbecue, we get to evaluate how well the …
Say what? You know the candies, the ones covered in sugar? But they’re so terribly sour that they actually erode the skin tissue in your mouth? They are coated in citric acid; that’s where the sour comes from. I hate those things. They remind me of what my mouth tastes like after I’ve had too much …
Yay! and, Ugh… How many of you feel this way about summer vacation? I will be honest: the most appealing aspect is NOT having to get up early to take anyone to school. Even if I still wake up at 6:30 am, there’s something comforting about doing it naturally. There’s also something comforting about laying in …
That might be a bit of an exaggeration for what I am about to share with you. However, I seriously urge you to take heed of my advice; it could change your life. I make our mayonnaise. Forget all that you have ever heard about how hard it is. Fooey. It’s simple, healthy, and when …
There is nothing worse than putting time and money into a garden project, just to have an army of aphids appear and destroy your precious green babies. Last year, for me, it was earwigs. Some might argue that earwigs aren’t a garden pest. Well, there were an abundance of earwigs in my yard last …
This post is continued from the May 31, 2014 post, “It’s not easy being green.” Did you watch the video? Here it is again: Where were we? Ah, yes. Auntie Edna used “pumpkin tips” in her shrimp dish. I searched and searched online for ideas on how to cook squash tips. (Go ahead, Google …
…but it IS easy to grow squash, and use them as greens. Read on! Both types – summer or winter – are easy to grow. Their names denote how long their fruits last. Zucchini is a summer squash; the fruit develops quickly, has delicate skin, and gets slimy in the fridge if you leave it …
2022 Updates will be italicized. No, my name isn’t “Smarta Sheck.” It’s Tina. My blog-slash-website’s name is “Smart as Heck.” (“Smarta Shell” was already taken.) Still true. I’m doing the blog because I need a bigger audience. Really? My current audience is my family, and sometimes there are friends too, upon whom I lavish the details of my …