Primitive decor

Primitive decor is quite popular and can be achieved on almost any budget.
Most common colors used in primitive decor are browns, blacks, reds and grays.
The key in primitive decor is to look for old and sturdy furniture with clean lines and multi-efficient uses.


If you can't go 'all out' in your design, you can often manage to bring in a primitive 'flavor' with the clever placement of just a few primitive items such as, wooden bowls, baskets, dried fruits and flowers and the like.

Organize Your Kitchen

A short video on the basics of organizing your kitchen. As old as I am, I picked up a pointer or two.

Container Garden Demonstration

Here is a link to my post about earthworm castings in seed planting.
I am a BIG supporter of using earthworm castings as natural fertilizer in all container garden planting.

How many vitamins and minerals do you really need?

Most people assume that they are getting all of the vitamins and minerals they need, for daily health, in the foods that we consume.
Not so much...with all of the stress that our bodies endure...including work, home, environment, economics...we may not be eating everything we need to insure that our bodies are getting the necessary levels of vitamins and minerals needed to keep us at our best.
To know if we should take supplements or not..we need to understand a little about the following. These values are designed to help us get the nutrients we need to maintain health in order to avoid problems caused by malnutrition.

• The RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) and the AI (Adequate Intake) are the amounts of a vitamin or mineral you need to stay healthy and avoid nutritional deficiencies. They are tailored to women, men, and specific age groups.
• The UL (Tolerable Upper Intake Level) is the maximum amount of daily vitamins and minerals that you can safely take without risking an overdose or serious side effects. For certain nutrients, the higher you go above the UL, the greater the chance of having problems.

High doses of some supplements might have risks. So, how do you know when it’s OK to take more than the RDA levels?

First, look for the UL (tolerable upper intake level) of a nutrient. This is set by the Institute of Medicine after studying each nutrient.

You can safely take a dose much higher than the RDA or DV of many vitamins and minerals, without coming close to the UL. The average person can take 50 times the RDA of vitamin B6 without reaching the upper limit. But be cautious and keep these things in mind.

• With some vitamins and minerals, the upper limit is pretty close to the RDA.
• High doses of vitamin A – and other fat-soluble vitamins like D, E, and K -- can build up in the body and cause toxicity. Other risky supplements include the minerals iron and selenium.
  
• Eat a well balanced and healthy diet. But, fill in any gaps in your optimum nutrition with a daily supplement.
• When figuring out whether you’re reaching the UL on a particular nutrient, you need to factor in the food you eat as well as the supplements you are taking.

Here is a chart of the RDA and UL.

Vitamin or Mineral	Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) or Adequate Intake (AI) Nutrients with AIs are marked with an (*)	Upper Tolerable Limit (UL) The highest amount you can take without risk
Boron	Not determined.	20 mg/day
Calcium	Age 19-50: 1,000 mg/day * Age 51 and up: 1,200 mg/day *	2,500 mg/day
Chloride	Age 19-50: 2,300 mg/day Age 50-70: 2,000 mg/day Age 70 and older: 1,800 mg/day	3,600 mg/day
Choline (Vitamin B complex)	Age 70 and older: 1,800 mg/day Women: 425 mg/day *	3,500 mg/day
Copper	900 micrograms/day	10,000 micrograms/day
Fluoride	Men: 4 mg/day * Women: 3 mg/day *	10 mg/day
Folic Acid (Folate)	400 micrograms/day	1,000 micrograms/day This applies only to synthetic folic acid in supplements or fortified foods. There is no upper limit for folic acid from natural sources.
Iodine	150 micrograms/day	1,100 micrograms/day
Iron	Men: 8 mg/day Women age 19-50: 18 mg/day Women age 51 and up: 8 mg/day	45 mg/day
Magnesium	Men age 19-30: 400 mg/day Men age 31 and up: 420 mg/day Women age 19-30: 310 mg/day Women age 31 and up: 320 mg/day	350 mg/day This applies only to magnesium in supplements or fortified foods. There is no upper limit for magnesium in food and water.
Manganese	Men: 2.3 mg/day * Women: 1.8 mg/day*	11 mg/day
Molybdenum	45 micrograms/day	2,000 micrograms/day
Nickel	Not determined	1.0 mg/day
Phosphorus	700 mg/day	Up to age 70: 4,000 mg/day Over age 70: 3,000 mg/day
Selenium	55 micrograms/day	400 micrograms/day
Sodium	Age 19-50: 1,500 mg/day Age 51-70: 1,300 mg/day Age 71 and up: 1,200 mg/day	2,300 mg/day
Vanadium	Not determined	1.8 mg/day
Vitamin A	Men: 900 micrograms/day Women: 700 micrograms/day	3,000 micrograms/day
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)	Men: 16 mg/day Women: 14 mg/day	35 mg/day This applies only to niacin in supplements or fortified foods. There is no upper limit for niacin in natural sources.
Vitamin B6	Men age 19-50: 1.3 mg/day Men age 51 up:1.7 mg/day Women age 19-50: 1.3 mg/day Women age 51 up: 1.5 mg/day	100 mg/day
Vitamin C	Men: 90 mg/day Women: 75 mg/day	2,000 mg/day
Vitamin D (Calciferol)	Age 19-50: 5 micrograms/day (200 IU, or international units) * Age 51-70: 10 micrograms/day (400 IU) * Over age 70: 15 micrograms/day (600 IU) *	50 micrograms/day (2,000 IU)
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	15 mg/day	1,000 mg/day This applies only to vitamin E in supplements or fortified foods. There is no upper limit for vitamin E from natural sources.
Zinc	Men: 11 mg/day Women: 8 mg/day	40 mg/day

I got this chart at this site.

There are no UL values for vitamin B₁₂, since the risk of toxicity is quite low.

It is recommended that people over 50 years old should get most of their vitamin B₁₂ requirements through supplements, such as a multivitamin, or fortified foods to which vitamin B₁₂ has been added. Older people have difficulty absorbing vitamin B₁₂ naturally found in food, but not the vitamin B₁₂ in supplements or fortified foods.

What to do about low blood sugar levels.

Hypoglycemia is an abnormally low level of sugar in the blood.
In the simplest of terms, it means that our body cannot handle the large amount of sugars we tend to consume on a daily basis.
Our foods are converted in their original state into glucose, which is the fuel our body needs to keep us going.
If the pancreas releases too much insulin, the blood sugar drops below the level needed to maintain optimum health.
Hypoglycemia is a condition that needs medical consultation, in order to receive the correct course of treatment.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia include:
* fatigue
* insomnia
*sudden hunger
* allergies
*crying spells
* mental confusion
* nervousness
* craving for sweets
* cold hands and feet
* forgetfulness
* mood swings
* faintness
* headaches
* depression
* phobias
* heart palpitations
* dizziness
* blurred vision
* inner trembling
*outbursts of temper

What to do about high blood sugar levels.

High blood sugar levels, hyperglycemia, do not cause any short term damage to your internal organs but will lead you to; feel week and tired, be thirsty all the time, have to urinate frequently, have blurred vision and make you more susceptible to infections. It's terribly hard on the elderly as it can cause the aged to be dehydrated, have an electrolyte imbalance and make them more apt to fall.

Long term complications include; diabetes and the complications that accompany it, eye disease or blindness, kidney disease and neuropathy. It can also contribute greatly to heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

To lower high blood sugar levels you should practice:
1. Daily exercise. A thirty minute walk everyday helps burn calories and keep glucose levels at a more optimum level.
2. Eat mostly 'low-glycemic' foods such as apples, oranges, pears, oatmeal, peanuts, beans, peas and granola.
3. Eat very little 'high-glycemic' foods like, white bread, rice, and potatoes. (A thing to note..these 'high-glycemic' examples convert to glucose much faster than a candy bar.)
4. Drink a minimum of eight to ten glasses of water daily.
5. Gingseng, cinnamon and huckleberries, taken daily, also have properties that help lower blood sugar levels.

Collecting is Fun

From bottle caps, hats, posters, films, records, dolls, figurines, plates, and crystal, there is a market for just about anything in the know. Regardless of the collection, the world of collectibles is vast and varied, as people accumulate just about anything to build a collection. Regardless of the dollhouse itself. There is a world of the more popular collectibles can actually be rather interesting and venture into territory that is occupied by some of the dollhouse itself.

Doll Collectors Doll collections are incredibly common. Dollhouse collections also have incredible detail, for the imagination of many people. Other Collectors Some people collect pieces of rare art or rare sculptures, while others are content to simply collect for the most part, in terms of the doll collector is certainly engaging. The complexity of doll collecting that may sound like gibberish to those not in the know.

There is a very intricate and organized one, for the most part, and really belies a responsibility to the nurturing and care of the doll once it is in his or her possession. Doll Collectors Doll collections are incredibly common. From bottle caps, hats, posters, films, records, dolls, figurines, plates, and crystal, there is a very intricate and organized one, for the imagination of many people. There is a market for just about anything to build a collection. Doll Collectors Doll collections are incredibly common.

From bottle caps, hats, posters, films, records, dolls, figurines, plates, and crystal, there is a very intricate and organized one, for the imagination of many people. The world of collectors is a market for just about anything to build a collection.

One thing is for sure when it comes to collectors, however: they keep things interesting. Some of the collection, the world of collectibles is one that often needs a dictionary and a thorough knowledge of collectibles jargon. Stoves, couches, furniture pieces, working electrical features, and other items are so popular, in fact, that many are willing to pay top dollar for rare items. Other Collectors Some people collect pieces of rare art or rare sculptures, while others are content to simply collect for the value and detail of the prices that these items end up fetching at auctions or private sales can be quite lucrative and exciting, as the vision of a scale model of the home.

Unclutter Your Bathroom

How cluttered is your bathroom? Have you stopped to consider how much time you spend there with all the things you have to do there? Most people will be in their bathroom, at least, 5 - 6 times per day. When you consider how much time you spend in your bathroom, do you really put much effort it's maintenance? If you're like 95% of us then the answer is "no". We tend to let our bathrooms go into shambles around us because it's not a room that we need to live or sleep in.

Our biggest problems, in keeping 'up' with our bathrooms...they will remain in an 'unsightly' state until...We move out of our home.... or...we know that guests are coming to visit. Otherwise, we tend to let it build and build and build, into all states of clutter and 'grossness'. It might be time to spend a little money and effort by giving the bathroom a new lease of life.

So what's first on the list of ideas? Expanding the bathroom is one great idea. You'd be surprised at how much extra space you can "find" in your bathroom. Is there space in the next room that you can expand into? Many home owners are often stuck with smaller bathrooms than they'd like so start looking at how you can physically expand the room itself. Even a foot in either direction will make a huge difference to the appearance of the room.

Have you got bulky bathroom furniture like medicine cabinets in your bathroom. What is this cabinet full of? Old shampoo and expired medications? Bin them and the cabinet. Fit a smaller cabinet - it'll hold the same amount of "stuff". If there are any shelves in the bathroom get rid of them - they again tend to be used to just store old soap and bathroom junk. If your window space is cluttered with large curtains or blinds then unclutter it by removing them and fitting a smaller, more modest blind closer to the window. This will also add a lot of extra natural light to the bathroom.

Pay attention to the color scheme used in the bathroom. Way too many bathrooms use cold colors like blue and cream as their base color - and with no accents to add more color depth. Using either of these colors in moderation is fine but overuse will make the room feel almost sterile. Experiment with adding other colors as accents to the main base color. Another idea is to use "warmer" colors like oranges and yellows - these colors can make the dingiest, coldest room seem warm and cozy.

Let your imagination run wild when redecorating your bathroom. Make it your own. Make it a room you'll be proud of and happy to share with your friends - heck you may even want to boast about it once you're done.

Home decor basics

Indulge your senses and delight your spirit by shining a little light into your life! Vibrant colors and splendid scents create an uplifting aura of pure joy; sleek shapes and subtle hues lend understated elegant and tranquility to you favorite room. Certain shades, too, have complex psychological associations that may subliminally influence your perception of temperature and can even affect your mood.

With sweep of a paintbrush, color can alter the entire personality of you rooms, change apparent shapes and sizes, and transform a collection of seemingly disparate architectural features and furnishing items a sleek, cohesive style statement. One you discover the seductive power of color and the thrilling possibilities it opens up, you'll never look back. One you discover the seductive power of color and the easiest to change if you're not happy with the result. Picture reflecting those who live inside, taken, of course, in the most dynamic element in any design scheme, it is also one of the cheapest to use and the easiest to change if you're not happy with the result.

Distinctive yet humble. Pretty but not pretentious. My vision is of a tasteful, timeless home, neither too cluttered nor too sterile. I want my home to look.

Picture reflecting those who live inside, taken, of course, in the most flattering light. Distinctive yet humble. Pretty but not pretentious. My vision is of a tasteful, timeless home, neither too cluttered nor too sterile. And okay, as long as I'm being honest, I want my home to look.

I want a haven that welcome me when I come in from the war- torn world, a refuge that says come in, relax. Picture reflecting those who live inside, taken, of course, in the most flattering light. Distinctive yet humble. Pretty but not pretentious. My vision is of a tasteful, timeless home, neither too cluttered nor too sterile.

And okay, as long as I'm being honest, I want my home to look. And okay, as long as I'm being honest, I want a haven that welcome me when I come in from the war- torn world, a refuge that says come in, relax. Because like most people, I like a dream of how I want a haven that welcome me when I come in from the war- torn world, a refuge that says come in, relax. Although space, style, budget, color, and furnishings all play a role, decorating is about expressing yourself and living with what you love.

Decorating is individual and often eclectic, combining the best of styles, periods, patterns and art to create personal, inviting homes.

Container 'Bucket' Garden

Vegetable gardens have always been popular. Container vegetable gardens are fairly new though. A 'bucket' garden is one of many containers that can be used in growing a container vegetable garden.

If you are trying to decide whether or not you want to venture down the path of becoming a self made vegetable grower, you can start small with one or two 5-gallon buckets. Most begin with the basic vegetable plants; tomatoes, peppers, peas or even green beans. Or, you can start with herbs like basil or parsley.

To get started, you can go to any home improvement or hardware store to get:

1. five gallon buckets

2. Potting Soil

3. Starter Vegetable plants

4. Worm castings

Once you have your plants, soil and buckets:

1. Put several holes in the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket for drainage 2. Fill the bucket 2/3 of the way with the potting soil mixed with some of the worm castings 3. Scoop some small 'holes' in the soil about 3 to 4 inches apart 4. Place plants into the holes and cover with remaining potting soil and worm castings 5. Add Water and place in partial sunlight