Brown Thumb Mama

Front Yard Garden Update: January

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

The garden has survived the cold snap we had last month. I planned to cut the artichokes back and mulch them heavily, but the frost beat me to it. They're doing quite well surrounded by the leaves Uncle Mark gives me from his yard. Wouldn't these look great surrounded by poppies and chives? Garden fashionistas say that's "The Look" for Spring 2012. ;o) I'll order my poppy and chive seeds from

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" According to the good folks at the Sacramento Rose Society, now is the time to prune your roses. If you've ever done this, you know it can be a thorny problem (wocka wocka wocka). This year, when you prune your roses or prickly berry bushes, bring a pair of BBQ tongs with you. Use the tongs to hold

Bargain Basement, Thy Name is Vitacost

2012-01-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

I'm not a "deals" blogger. I like to use coupons, but am no expert at the drugstore-bucks-plus-coupons, extreme purchasing lifestyle. We just use our soaps and lotions sparingly (kids aren't allowed multiple pumps of soap) and they last just fine. There is something that's better than stacking sales and coupons though, and that is getting something nearly free. Enter Vitacost--believe it or not

The Money Saving Mom's Budget: Review and Giveaway!

2012-01-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Shelby for winning! When BrownThumbPapa and I were newlyweds, we were thrifty out of necessity. We used to joke that the decorating scheme for our house was “Early American Attic.” Our dining room was furnished from Papa’s parents’ garage: The living room was nearly as bare as the dining room. We were given an old sofa and lamp so the living room

Upcoming product review

2012-01-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

As we all know, when you look up "practical" in the dictionary, you see my picture. If something doesn't serve a purpose, I have a hard time incorporating it into my house! The folks at Wayfair asked me to invite you to browse their selection of decorative plates, and this one caught my eye. How perfect is this--a guestbook that the wedding couple can use in their new life together. What a

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2012-01-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" Today's tip is brought to us by Baby Thumbelina. Most of us have spent the last month or two stressing about money, time, decorations, food, gifts...the list is endless. Let's take some time for ourselves this week. Even a 10-minute power nap will help! Shirt from the brilliant folks at Think Geek.

Directions for Your 2012 Garden

2011-12-31T15:35:00.000-08:00

First, plant five rows of peas: Preparedness, Promptness, Perseverance, Politeness, and Patience. Next to them plant three rows of squash: Squash gossip, Squash criticism, Squash indifference. Now, how about five rows of lettuce? Let us be faithful. Let us be unselfish. Let us be loyal. Let us be truthful. Let us love one another. And no garden is complete without turnips. Turn up your

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2011-12-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" Anybody know what you call those little square plastic thingys that hold the bread wrapper closed? Me neither. However, they're perfect for sticking to the end of a roll of duct tape, painter's tape, masking tape, etc. Now you don't have to fold the tape over to find the end! If your kids are tape

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours...may your holidays be merry and bright. --Mama and Papa, Jackjack and Thumbelina Photo by Chris Carbone

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2011-12-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" 'Tis the season for running around crazy, and that can result in eating out at a restaurant or fast food. This tip works best if you're willing to set a good example, so implement with caution! Ask your kids to choose water instead of a soda or juice when eating out. If they choose water, pay them

Make Your Own Croutons

2011-11-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

Ahhh...I have a new love. In preparation for making Thanksgiving stuffing, I stopped at the bakery outlet for the first time in years. What deals! There's nothing like getting two loaves of french bread for $1.29 and four loaves of whole wheat, no HCFS bread for $3.50. And they hadn't even reached their pull date! I might have gone a little crazy. What does a girl do with six loaves of french

Oh Yes I Did: Homemade Deodorant

2011-11-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

This was one of those projects that I wanted to try but didn't have the nerve to test it while working. It became Reason #459 Why I Love Maternity Leave! If it was going to turn me into a stinker, no one would know. I got the recipe from Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World. Their previous book was so good that I didn't even wait for the library to get a copy of Making It--I

Black Friday eBook Sale!

2011-11-25T00:15:00.000-08:00

Have you been thinking about buying one of the eBooks I've mentioned over the last year, but didn't want to try them at full price? This sale is for you! Use the codes in bold below at checkout to get huge discounts on these books--up to 70%! Click on the book's title to go to the page for that book. The codes are good today only, so don't delay! BFBEANS for 55% off The Everything Beans Book

Thankfulness

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness—just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breathe it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2011-11-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" The Christmas shopping frenzy insanity is just hours away. Whether you're shopping for kids or adults, consider "wrapping" presents in small storage boxes. To hide the gifts from prying eyes, wrap the contents or line the box with cloth or tissue. The recipient can use the storage box around the house

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" Are you planning for lots of holiday parties? Nothing will send a party down the drain faster than a clogged toilet. Avoid this disaster by having all the "company" toilets professionally snaked before the party. Better to spend a little money ahead of time than be embarassed and have to call the

Front Yard Garden Update

2011-11-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's the beginning of November, and the front yard garden is still going strong. We haven't had any truly cold days, and everything is continuing to grow. I cut the dried blossom stalks from the artichokes in September. You're supposed to cut the whole plant down to 12 inches and mulch them over, but the leaves are just too pretty to cover up. The Purple Ruffles basil has gone to flower, which

Free Download: Sneak Preview of "Smart Sweets"

2011-11-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Remember a while back when I told you about Katie's healthy, homemade granola bars? If you've tried them, you know how delicious and easy they are to make. Just in time for Christmas parties, she's written a new ebook called Smart Sweets. She says, "Let’s start getting excited about 30 real food desserts, made smarter so you can indulge with less guilt knowing you’re eating healthy-ish,

Christmas Cards Made Easy

2011-10-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Way back when, BrownThumbPapa and I used to design our own Christmas cards. We would spend hours selecting photos from throughout the year, designing the layout, writing a clever message, and then would spend a king’s ransom to have them printed and mailed. Since we’ve had kids, that tradition has fallen by the wayside (surprise, surprise). Shutterfly to the rescue! It’s so easy to put a family

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2011-10-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" It's finally getting chilly around here, which means it's time for hearty foods like chili, stews, and meatloaf. Try making meatloaf in a Bundt pan for faster, even cooking. Pop it out of the pan, "frost" it with sauce, and tell your husband you're having meat cake for dinner. He'll love it (mine

Perfect Homemade Pizza Dough

2011-10-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

I could wax eloquent on why it's important to have a good pizza dough recipe, but this is all you really need to see: Ok, stop drooling. This is super-easy to make and it doesn't even need extra time to rise. The hot temps in the oven will do that for you! Ingredients: 4 1/2 cups flour 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon yeast 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons honey 1 1/2 cups room

A Bar of Lotion?!?

2011-10-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

Remember this? Would you think Mom was crazy if she asked you to get a bar of lotion at the store? I recently got to try an assortment of MadeOn products, including--of all things--a bar of lotion. Go figure! I tried the BeeSilk lotion bar and lip balm (at least until BrownThumbPapa stole them), SecondLife hair butter, Honey Goat Milk soap, and Simply Soothing diaper rash cream for Thumbelina

How to Test Household Batteries

2011-10-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

I have a box of batteries sitting around waiting to be recycled, and it mocks me with its wastefulness every time I look at it. We've switched to rechargeables for almost everything, but have accumulated a lot of "regular" batteries over time. Rather than just give up and recycle them, I wanted to test them and see if any of them had juice left. Sometimes a battery can be too low to work in some

Christmas is coming! Save the budget with Swagbucks.

2011-10-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Are you using Swagbucks reward points to get free stuff? There are lots of ways to earn besides their search engine, like Special Offers. You can take surveys, do free trials, make purchases, like a Facebook page, or watch videos. Take the action, get the bucks. It's that simple. There are plenty of free offers as well as those that reward you for buying something--you have complete control

What I’m Reading

2011-10-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever liked a book so much that you were afraid you’d scare people off with your enthusiasm? That’s how I feel about The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairieby Wendy McClure. (I’ve been writing and re-writing this review for two weeks now). Part autobiography, part travelogue, it tells Wendy’s story as she visits all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder