Category: Environmental
Blizzard Preparation Checklist
A blizzard is heading our way and it’s time to start checking to make sure we are prepared at home! Before settling in for the night tonight make sure your home is prepared with the following items. Once the snow starts falling many local businesses will be closed so it’s important to prepare! Do you have all of the items on this list?
• Non-perishable food—at least a 3-day
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered radio
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications
• Fully-charged cell phones
• Family and emergency contact information
• Extra cash
• Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
• Pet food
• Candles/matches
• Sand or rock salt
• Warm coats, gloves, hats and boots
• Firewood (if you have a fireplace)
• Warm blankets
• Snow shovel
5 Ways to Make Your Home Smell Great
Spraying air fresheners are a quick fix when it comes to giving your home a clean scent. Some of them are full of chemicals though which are bad for you to breathe! Here are five easy ways to make your home smell great for company or just for your own benefit.
1. Bake something. There’s nothing more “homey” than the scent of freshly-baked goods! If you are inviting company over, try throwing some cookies or bread in the oven.
2. Use citrus fruits. If your sink or garbage disposal starts to smell from food odors, use fruits right from your fruit basket! Chop up a lemon or orange to throw down the disposal for a natural, clean scent.
3. Use essential oils. By dabbing essential oils in places around your home you can add a subtle clean scent just about anywhere! Try adding a few drops to the inside of your toilet paper roll to make the bathroom smell fresh or put some oil on a cotton ball and slip it inside of a pillowcase.
4. Use your crock pot. Slow cookers don’t just have to be used for cooking! Add some fragrant spices or herbs like cinnamon, cloves or rosemary to water and let it simmer on low in your home for a delicious scent.
5. Display fresh flowers. Buying yourself a fresh bouquet to display in your home will not only look nice, it will smell nice too. Head to your local farmer’s market or grocery store and get a couple bouquets. You can cut them and divide them into mini vases in several rooms in your home.
How to Choose the Best Pumpkin for Carving
Tis the season for pumpkin carving and when it comes to picking the right pumpkin, there are steps you can take to make sure you pick a winner! Keep reading to find out what you should look for when you are searching at the pumpkin patch!
1. Pick it up and feel the weight. You’ll want to choose a pumpkin that feels heavy for it’s size.
2. Look at the coloring. Make sure there isn’t patches of different coloring on your pumpkin. You’ll want one that has a great orange color throughout.
3. Flip it upside down and push on the bottom with your thumb. If the pumpkin flexes or feels soft at all it isn’t fresh.
4. Feel around and check for any mold or soft spots that indicate it will spoil earlier than other pumpkins.
5. Look at the stem and make sure it looks solid. If it has a green tinge to it that means it was freshly harvested.
6. Feel the surface. You’ll want a pumpkin that has a wide, smooth surface on at least one side so you can properly carve your masterpiece with plenty of space!
10 Family-Friendly Fall Activities
We’re still a couple weeks away from the first official day of fall but the temperatures have certainly made it feel like it’s already here! With the season change comes a lot of great family-friendly activities for you to try! Here’s a list of ideas to try between now and winter to get in the fall spirit!
1. Go apple picking
2. Visit a corn maze
3. Go leaf peeping
4. Go to a pumpkin patch
5. Carve pumpkins
6. Go on a hayride
7. Visit your local fair
8. Build a scarecrow
9. Go to a haunted house
10. Bake pumpkin and apple-flavored treats
5 Things to Do Before Summer is Over
We’re already in August…can you believe it? It always seems like the summer flies by and we don’t get a chance to enjoy the warmth and everything this season brings. Before September hits, try checking these things off your list to get the most out of August!
1. Pick your own fruit! Many local farm stands offer pick your own options and now is the time to take advantage before cold weather hits! You can pick your own blueberries, raspberries and strawberries for a delicious, fresh fruit salad!
2. Put your toes in the ocean! If you haven’t had a chance to hit the beach yet this summer, now is the time to start planning! You don’t want the end of September to hit and you realized you never got to feel the salty water and sand on your feet!
3. Visit your local farmer’s market! Many towns have farmer’s markets weekly throughout the summer but they close up shop once the fall hits. Take advantage now and buy some fresh produce, plants and other goodies from your local vendors.
4. Relax by the pool! There’s nothing like putting your feet up and reading a good book while sitting by the pool. Make sure you get in all the pool time you can in the next several weeks before yours gets covered up.
5. Go to an outdoor concert! Concerts in the summer are always a great time! Whether you purchase tickets online for a famous act or attend a free show locally, get out there after work and listen to some music in the company of great friends!