Recent content by nikki4612

Fighting a losing battle against wild blackberry vines. And before you ask, they aren't the king you can get edible berries from. They'll choke out anything.Anybody know how to kill them without totlly contaminating your soil? Nikki in Louisiana

After surviving Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, we all have bug out bags. My husband and I split what is included. Naturally we have all the usual items, flashlight, water bottle, granola bars, bandages and OTC meds such as aspirin (really needed it during Katrina), extra socks and...

My parents lived in France in the 1950s. First realize that this was just 5 years after WWII. People didn't have much of anything and prices were extremely high. Mom told me that the French were always beautifully dressed but they had a secret. They owned very few items of clothes but they...

I suppose my move to a more self-sufficient life began while I was still living in the New Orleans suburbs it started with an interest in the voluntary simplicity concept and a move away from so much materialism. I was lucky enough to live in an affluent part of town and yet saw that many of...

You really need a high speed juicer or it's not worth doing and too expensive. I had an inexpensive juicer at first and it was a waste of time and food. It got very little juice from the produce. Now I have a big Breville stainless steel monster from Sur La Table that squeezes every last bit of...

I've been juicing almost daily for years. I love it and it loves me. I'm 56 and have almost no wrinkles, gray hair, and I rarely get sick. I have a base juice that I do every morning of a pound of carrots and one large granny smith apple. To this I'll add whatever I have fresh, leafy greens...

You can also use a spoon of lemonade Kool aid mix The original without the sugar will take the place of the citric acid and you can find it on sale frequently. That will help with the filming on glassware and give a nice lemon smell.

We went to Savannah this year on vacation and ate at Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons restaurant. I got a couple of her cookbooks so I'm going to do a Paula dinner on Sunday. Ham, sweet potato casserole, green beans with bacon, deviled eggs, cauliflower and brocolli with cheese, pound cake with...

I'm a square foot gardener in southeast Louisiana, so I can grow just about all year. Right now all I have growing are my herbs and some lettuce. I really wanted to get a number of lemon, satsuma, and grapefruit trees planted but I need hubby's help with those and he broke his foot. So no new...

Love your part of Mississippi. We have a friend in Aberdeen. We're in Southeast Louisiana. Welcome.

I want to put in a small orchard of citrus trees - satsumas, meyer lemons, oranges, and grapefruit. They are all supposed to grow very well here. There is even a town called Satsuma just down the highway. I've never had more than one sad looking Meyer lemon tree in a pot. It did put out...

The biggest thing we did was to move to a small town and pay off the house. it wasn't easy but it was well worth it. Now I shop 3 stores or more each week but only buy the loss leaders and items we can store. Tha t way you get everything at the lowest price. I don't buy anything that isn't on...

I'm more of a wannabe writer. I write mystery stories about Louisiana. I plan on writing more when I retire. I hope soon.Nikki

My best money saving hint is to change your approach to beauty products. Your hair will look much better, healthier, and you'll lower your exposure to cancer causing chemicals if you stop washng your hair with shampoo daily. Rinse daily and air dry. Wash twice a week. Do you know that even...

Wow. I've been to that part of Arizona. Nice. I'm totally impressed by people who start over and do it right. We were so intent on getting a place to live after Katrina, we didn't even think about making that sort of change. It would have been the best time since we were pretty unencumbered...