Category: Mary’s List

Inside Gardens

Indoor garden plantersI’ve always enjoyed gardening. Nothing too fancy, a few flowers, herbs, and the occasional tomato or pepper plant. This is a tradition that was passed down to me by my mother. I remember her planting a classic Italian garden of plum tomatoes, basil, and green peppers in the postage stamp strip of grass in back of her home in Flushing, New York.

She would dutifully tend to it every morning during the spring and summer months and the produce she’d somehow manage to coax from it was nothing short of astonishing! There was always fresh Italian tomatoes for salads or to put on sandwiches and just enough to make a small batch of fresh sauce which was seasoned by an abundance of fresh basil.

Home Selling or Buying Requires Work – part 2

In today’s housing market being the Buyer is the best of both worlds. The cards are all stacked in your favor. You can choose the best realty agency in your neighborhood and interview the agent you want to work with. You can determine the time and places you would like to visit as well as being firm on the price range you will pay. Don’t hesitate to ask all and every question that is of utmost importance to you, such as location and types of schools in the area, what the house originally sold for, taxes, maintenance expenses, association fees, all improvements done on the house, etc.

Selling a House Today – part 1

It’s been quite a while since I posted on my Blog and it is mainly due to the fact I have been busy trying to sell our homes, one in Ohio, and our home in Florida. My husband George and I, now in our senior years, have decided to plan our retirement years in a smaller dwelling and one free of “stuff”. For many out there it must seem like such a luxury to have two homes. Yes, it may seem that way in today’s economic environment, but after many years of dedicating our lives to working and raising children, having a second home was more than just a luxury. It was something we worked towards to enjoy our retirement with family and friends.

Essential Kitchen Gadgets

Have you checked lately how many kitchen gadgets you possess and how many you really use? Hello!

I never gave this much thought until I viewed Christopher Lowell’s latest Ask Christopher innovation on Too Many Gadgets. I have kitchen drawers filled with many gadgets that I probably can open a kitchen gadget store. Thanks to Mr. Lowell, I plan to become a more efficient cook in my kitchen.

Christmas Gift Books for the Cook

Christmas Cook Book SuggestionsNeed some suggestions for a gift to a family member who loves to cook, or for that special friend who has everything, well, how about a good cookbook?  I am always blown away by the huge selections of cookbooks available in the bookstores or online. It would take me days to go through all of them before I found the one that I feel will meet my needs. Today’s cookbooks are so well photographed and sometimes that alone would draw a novice to make a purchase only to find the recipes are not easy to follow.