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Ornaments don’t have to be expensive. In fact, you can make your own wooden ornaments at home. Kids and adults alike enjoy listening to festive Holiday music and bonding over a craft. These 5 beautiful wooden creations will look great on a tree, wreath, in the windows, or anywhere else you decide to hang them. Whether you want an easy craft or a difficult one, you will have a fun time making your gorgeous homemade ornaments! #1: Twiggy Trees These twiggy trees are cheap and easy to make. To make it even better, kids love gathering sticks! Complete with some wire pipe cleaners and you’ve got yourself a rustic wooden ornament. Materials Twigs gathered outside Wooden sticks (available at craft stores and look like tongue depressors) Your favorite color wire pipe cleaners, or substitute ... (More)

The benefits to eating a diet high in fiber are numerous. It can reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, and bowel cancer. Unfortunately, only 3% of most people get the recommended amount (25-38 grams). Even if you are on a low carb diet, you can get fiber from vegetables. This article contains a comprehensive list of high fiber vegetables for you to enjoy! 18 High Fiber Vegetables #1: Lima Beans Lima beans are a great source of fiber in any diet, but especially a vegetarian diet. These yummy beans pack a punch of 9 grams of fiber per cooked cup. That’s a whopping 37% of your daily recommended value. For all this, you only have to spend 209 calories! #2: Carrots They are orange, juicy, and come in different sizes. But did you know they are also high in fiber and low in calories? In on... (More)

A beetroot is a sweet vegetable that you love or hate. As you can tell from the name, a beet is actually a root. So, will refer to these veggies as beet and beetroot interchangeably. No matter what you call it or how you feel about it, beetroot now widely recognized as a superfood. Here’s how beetroot juice benefits can help you! Benefit #1: Improves Stamina Drinking beet juice has been shown to increase plasma nitrate levels. This increases your ability to perform exercise. It also reduces your maximum oxygen output by opening up your vessels so there is more for your muscles. Who doesn’t want increased stamina at the gym? Pro Tip: Drink in the morning for a healthy pick me up! Benefit #2: Improves Skin Tone We all try to improve our skin from without, but what if I told you beetroot... (More)

For most people, October and November are the end of the growing season. Not so if you live in what we call a Mediterranean climate. What exactly is this climate, and what Mediterranean vegetables can you grow this time of year? We’re glad you asked, because we’ve got the answers! What is a Mediterranean Climate? Climate is characterized by its weather patterns. Mediterranean climates have cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The soil can be characterized as loamy/rocky. Loamy soil is great, but the rocky part isn’t so great. It means you might have a difficult time growing some of the more common plants. Where are Some Examples? Here are a few places that have a Mediterranean climate. This is not an exhaustive list, but it covers the larger regions. Turkey Morocco Greece Ita... (More)

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The squash are ripe, the apples are juicy, and the pumpkins are begging to be picked. Whether or not you decide to go to the patch or the store this year, there should be at least 1 real pumpkin somewhere in your home. Other than that, feel free to use our 4 fake pumpkin ideas for Halloween decorations. 4 Pumpkin Ideas for Halloween Decorations #1: Pumpkin Book This is a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to make a unique pumpkin. All you need is a book, hot glue, scissors, orange spray paint, and a branch from your yard! Instructions: Remove the cover from the book, taking care to keep the spine together. Take your sharpest pair of scissors and cut the pages into a half circle (pumpkin) shape. Bend back the book so you can glue the spine togethe... (More)

It’s that time of year again: Halloween! The leaves and the temperature are falling, the wooden garage is getting decorated, and the ghosts and goblins are creeping. Whether you love or hate this holiday, it’s important to know the history of Halloween. Why? It’s one of the most popular days of the year! Origins Halloween can trace its roots back 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. This is pronounced sow-in. November 1st was the Celt’s New Year, and the night before, October 31st, was the festival. What was Samhain? This festival was on the last day of summer. This also coincided with the last day of the harvest. They Celts were entering the time of the year where darkness and cold took over. A time of the year they associated with death. To be fair, most of the... (More)

Fall is one of the best times of the year to find grapes. Sure, they are delicious by themselves. Freeze them and you’ve got healthy hard candy. Put them on the windowsill and they turn to raisins. So, the question becomes what to make from grapes that you have never thought of before. The following are some of our favorite recipes that feature this sweet fruit! 3 Mind Blowing Recipes #1: Cashew-Chicken Rotini Salad This delicious lunch or dinner meal will have you begging for more. It’s a tasty spin on the original that mixes some interesting flavors. Ingredients: 16 ounces spiral pasta 4 cups cooked chicken, cubed 1 cup seedless red grapes 1 cup seedless green rapes 5 ounces dried cranberries ¾ cup thinly sliced green onions 1 ½ cup diced celery 20 ounces of drained pineapple tid... (More)

If you have ever purchased new trees, you know they are an investment. Like any investment, you want to help your trees grow. You probably already know everything you need to about watering and sunlight. Unfortunately, healthy soil can be a somewhat tough subject. Fortunately, we are here to explain how to create the best soil for new trees. The Best Soil for New Trees 101 Perform a Soil Test Why is performing a soil test the first step? Because knowing the health and pH of your soil is vitally important to creating the best dirt! You can purchase a soil testing kit at your local garden store to test for pH. If you want to see what nutrients are missing, you can pick up a more inclusive kit at your local extension office. Determine Your Soil Type Dirt is dirt, right? Wrong! There are so m... (More)

Clematis are vines that are impossible not to fall in love with. They come in a wide variety of different colors and sizes. There is literally something for everyone. However, they can be a bit difficult to grow if you don’t know what you are getting into. In this article, we will walk you through the steps of how to plant clematis. By the end, you will realize it isn’t as difficult as you think it is. With some patience and time, anyone can grow this gorgeous vine for the full 80 years! How to Plant Clematis: A Guide for Beginners Step 1: Choose Your Variety Clematis vines are all the rage lately. Everyone seems to be growing them and that’s good news for you. That means the garden stores you frequent should have a variety in stock. It also means specialists will know more about th... (More)

Selecting a beautiful tree to plant can be hard work. There are so many different options, don’t you wish you had a list? Now, you do! Stay with us as we tell you about the 17 gorgeous trees that are worth your money and time. 17 Beautiful Trees to Plant in Your Garden 1.  Saucer Magnolia In zones 4 through 9, you can’t go wrong with the saucer magnolia. Each spring, this ornamental tree blooms with pinkish-purple flowers. The tree actually gets its name from the saucer shaped flowers! 2. Dogwood Dogwoods are beautiful the whole year through. In the fall, the leaves turn red for an attractive foliage display. In the winter, the bare branches are gorgeous in the snow. Finally, the spring brings luscious blooms in white, red, or pink. This tree can survive and thrive in most places. 3.... (More)