Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I think its because I associate thanksgiving with family. It has always been a holiday where my family gathers to spend quality time together. It is not very hard to decorate for Thanksgiving. You can place gourds, pumpkins, pinecones and colorful leaves throughout the house and it makes everything festive.

Kathy Zengolewicz

If you are using pinecones, be sure to get the scented ones, or better yet visit my blog here in the Home & Living section this Sunday.  I’ll be showing you exactly how to set your table.

I always take special care with my table at the holidays. As a rule we’re not very formal, but at Thanksgiving I pull out all of the stops. I will give you a couple of hints for creating a beautiful holiday table. Always start with a cloth table cover. You can find some buys, especially if you choose a white cover. I always use white at thanksgiving because it gives off just the right balance of color once I have everything put together. The contrast can be stunning.

I don’t have more than one set of dishes, so I use my everyday dishes and they look fine. I do, however, use hand made napkin rings and placecards in a variety of colors. I place candles strategically around the dinner table and light them when family and friends are ready to sit for the meal. I top the table with a fresh bunch of flowers, noting expensive, just simple blooms.

Setting your table is one way to make Thanksgiving day a special. I’m sure that you can think of a few others. Here is hoping that your Thanksgiving holiday is a memorable one.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon.

Every home and car should have a first aid kit in case of emergencies. I have a list of what should be included in your first aid kit.
Here is what you should have on hand:

A first aid manual or guide
sterile gauze
adhesive tape and bandages in different sizes
An elastic bandage
A pair of goggles or other eye protection
A manual aspirator or suction unit
Antiseptic wipes
Topical medications such as iodine, aloe vera gel, tea tree oil
Anti-itch ointment
Soap
An antibiotic cream like triple-antibiotic ointment
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrocortisone cream
<Acetaminophen and ibuprofen
A pair of tweezers
A sharp pair of scissors
Safety pins
Instant cold packs (disposable)
A bottle of calamine lotion
Alcohol wipes or ethyl …read more

It is hard to believe that autumn is in full swing and the weather is turning colder by the day. It is that time of year when we need to think of winterizing our homes. Winterizing doesn’t have to be a big expensive production. There are lots of ways to weatherproof your home even if you are on a budget.
Most weatherproofing can be done by you, no need to call a professional. Here are a couple of easy jobs that will make a big difference when the cold weather blows in. Clean all gutters and downspouts in early fall and …read more

Keeping your home and carpets fresh when you have a pet is a big job. I have had a cat and a dog for many years who are house trained, but there are times when one or both of them will have an accident on the floor. Of course, it is usually on the floor that is carpeted, not the tiled floor. Here are a few tips for getting and keeping your home free from pet odors and stains.
It is not a good idea to use a commercial cleaner since most of them contain chemicals that can be harmful to …read more

Do you know what’s in your medicine cabinet? When was the last time you checked the expiration dates on any medications that you have? I can’t say that I ever thought about it before, but I took the time recently to to do just that and I was surprised to find that so many of my over the counter medications were expired. I don’t mean recently expired, I’m talking being expired for some time.
Aside from any prescription medications you may be taking it is a good idea to have some of the following items on hand.
Aspirin, for use as a …read more

A lot of people love to keep a garden in spring and summer, myself included, so it is always a little sad when you have to cut back the garden and prepare it for the winter. I seem to get a little grouchy when this happens. So, after mulling this over for a bit I thought, “why not start an indoor garden?” That is exactly what I did.
Indoor gardens can be made to exude beauty in a room.  They are the perfect solution for apartment dwellers who don’t have room for an outdoor garden. Believe it or not, indoor plants …read more

Are you thinking of redecorating or just freshening up your home for the holidays? I have a few tips that may help.  No one  has a lot of money to spend at this time of year, so let’s look at some practical solutions available for the least amount of spending cash.
Changing your curtains or getting a new window treatment can completely change the look of a room. It doesn’t matter whether you choose sheer curtains, heavy draperies or a sheer curtain with an over drape. Window treatments express your style and also provide privacy. You can choose anything from a …read more

What can I say about the living room? After the kitchen, my living room is the busiest area in the whole house. The only ones living in the house are my husband and myself, but at times it looks like there’s a whole tribe camped out here. Yes, it get’s that dirty.
I love to listen to music and dance, well it’s what I call dancing, while I dust and straighten up. I am sure that you have mismatched socks around the house so put on aside for dusting. Spray the sock with furniture polish, put it on like a mitten …read more

Do you have a bedroom that is in dire need of change or face lift? If so, I have a few ideas that may help. There never seems to be enough money to do exactly what we want to do, so I tried to keep these ideas as inexpensive as possible.
Hang a quilt on the wall behind your headboard. It’s a simple step that looks great. You don’t have to match the quilt with your bedspread, but do keep the same color scheme.
Mix and match some pillows to brighten up the room. Your décor should express your personality so find a …read more

With the holidays so close, and so much shopping, cleaning and decorating to do, I thought I might share some of my household tips with you. Some of these tips may be familiar, but I hope some will be new to you and help you with a lot of your household chores.
When you use scouring soap pads like Brillo or SOS, if you’re like me you never seem use the entire pad and it sits on your sink and rusts. From now on when you buy soap pads cut them in half and use half at a time. It keeps …read more