Interior Wall Paint: Flat, Eggshell, Satin, Semi-Gloss or High-Gloss Which is Best?

I'm big on budget DIY home remodeling. So I have used a variety of paint styles. Many readers have asked which I like best. I found it's not as much about brand as paint style and the application you'll use it for. In this article we will focus on interior latex paints as those are safer. Latex paint is low-odor, non-toxic and much easier to work with. I just about knocked myself out, using Kilz in an poorly vented bathroom. Don't do that. Be sure you use low odor and keep air moving! So, back to choosing paint. Here's my guide Interior Wall Paint: Flat, Eggshell, Satin, Semi-Gloss or High-Gloss? #bubblews

Best Nature Centers and Hiking Trails in West Michigan

Michigan is blessed with many wonderful state parks, national forests, lake and wildlife attractions. As homeschoolers, a great deal of our schooling revolved around field trips, wildlife explorations and nature study. Whenever we'd visit a new place, city or county, we'd immediately check out local nature trails, state and country parks and national forests. Here are our favorite West Michigan nature centers, hiking trails and nature activities.

  DeGraaf Nature Center: Holland, Michigan. This is a woodland nature center with historic pioneer cabins and costumed docents. DeGraaf has a lovely wetlands walk. In the spring, DeGraaf hosts a maple sugaring event. Students can touch, taste and collect sap and see it cooked into maple syrup and maple sugar.


  P.J. Hoffmaster State Park and Gillette Nature Center: Muskegon, Michigan. On the southern end of Muskegon Country in Norton Shores, Gillette Nature Center hosts a lovely interpretive nature center, dunes exhibit, theater, interactive animal activities, plus miles of woodland trails. Walk through an old growth forest. Learn about a dune's geological structure. Climb the Dune Staircase to view the panorama of the dune and Lake Michigan. Hofmaster Nature Center hosts Snake Days, Frog Days, Insect Days and Bird Days, as well as the Annual Trillium Festival.


  Blandford Nature Center: West Leonard St. near Grand Rapids, Blandford has an entire historic village, one room school house, blacksmith shop, carpentry shop, narrated barn exhibit, settler's cabin and general store. Blandford Nature Center hosts a spring sugaring event and Civil War infantry re-enactment. Blandford has habitat trails: pond life, meadow, wetlands and forest. There are animal exhibits and an animal rehabilitation hospital which guests may visit.


  Great Lakes Visitor Center: Ludington, Michigan. Located on the Au Sable River, that runs to Lake Michigan, through Ludington State Park, Great Lakes Visitor Center has a fine interpretive center. A sky-view dune walk navigates the
forested back of the dune. Stroll Lake Michigan's shoreline or follow the wooded 1.5 mile trail at Ludington State Park to visit Big Sable Point lighthouse


  These nature centers and nature trails are an outdoor classroom full of learning experiences and activities.

How to Decorate a Bike for a 4th of July Parade Using Recycled Decorations

I love doing holiday crafts with kids. But I hate spending money on craft supplies. Want to decorate kids bikes for 4th of July parade? Here's a guide to bicycle decorating using super cheap (mostly free) recycled Christmas wrapping paper and birthday party supplies. How to Decorate a Bike for a 4th of July Parade

Once a Week Cooking Recipes for Economical, Healthy 2 for 1 Meals

I am a Domestic Goddess Mama. My domain is kitchen efficiency. I am Empress of Living Simple, Tsarina of Tightwad , Duchess of DIY, Baroness of Budgeting. To achieve all those, I've created 2-4-1 recipes. Entrees are repurposed for several dishes, so I get twice the meals for half the work. I use once-a-week cooking strategies, doing the bulk of my cooking on Sunday when I have the most time, for the week ahead. Here's a weekly meal planner that serves six people with seven dinners. There are usually lunch leftovers. These recipes feature lighter calorie options and are nutritious, balanced and healthy. Once a Week Cooking Recipes for Economical, Healthy 2 for 1 Meals

Affordable Father's Day Gifts at All Price Ranges Dads Will Love

Father's Day shopping is tricky if you don't know what dad wants. And holiday gift-giving can get expensive, period. So you want the most bang for your shopping buck. Here are top 10 affordable Father's Day gifts in different price ranges. My husband enjoys these and your dad will love them too!  Affordable Father's Day Gifts at All Price Ranges That Dad Will Love

Green, Healthy Summer Picnic Diet Appetizer, Snacks Recipes

I've lost 100 pounds, dropped eight sizes. As summer picnic season nears, I'm considering eating plans to maintain weight loss. Open houses, potlucks, holiday cookouts, BBQs, grilling--great for feasting. Fasting, not so much. Here are green, healthy, diet appetizers and snacks recipes for Memorial Day and summer.  Memorial Day Summer Picnic Diet Appetizer, Snacks Recipes

Cut Graduation Costs, Budget Open House Tips

May and June are the season -- for senior prom, graduation and open houses. Parents, if you have a graduating senior or a student going to prom, be prepared: it's expensive. Here are ways to trim spending on prom dresses, tux, graduation supplies and open house. Lady Greenwise (that's me) has graduated three seniors and picked up some penny pinching tips along the way.  How to Trim Spending on Senior Prom and Graduation

Cut Grocery Bill in Half--Lose Weight, Eat Healthy Diet Food

I've lost almost 100 pounds gained from two stillbirths, early menopause and taking the antidepressant Paxil (known for causing weight gain, says Mayo Clinic). Left is 2011. Right photo is 2014.  I lost weight by following Dr. Oz's advice and swapping fatty, high-carb foods for healthy, fat-blasting foods. Lots of people tell me diet food is more expensive and they can't afford it. They're right--about the commercial kind. But not natural, healthy diet food. I save money--like 50-percent off my grocery bill--buying it.
Want to Cut Grocery Bill in Half? Eat Healthy Diet Food

Healthy Nutritous Diet Foods Grocery List

Living green means eating "green"--with  healthy, natural, locally-grown plant sources, vs. meat-based diets.  I've lost 96 pounds. I use several diet techniques including making healthy food swaps like the kind in Men's Health Eat This, Not That. Here's a grocery list of what should be in your shopping cart if you're trying to lose weight. It helps you save green, too! Healthy Diet Foods That Should Be in Your Shopping Cart

No-Sew Swag Drapes, Recycled Bed Sheet Curtains

Earth Day in April 22. But I celebrate it everyday. Frugal is my middle name. D, I and Y are my initials and resourceful is my main character trait. I'm always looking for ways to create expensive decor with recycled materials. Today's tip: reuse top sheets for no-sew swag curtains. When I buy a package of sheets or bed in a bag, I don't use the enclosed top sheets. For me, they are just something extra to wash and an extra step in the bed making process. So what do I do with all the extra top sheets? I have quite a few uses actually. Here's one.

DIY No-Sew Swag Drapes and Curtains with Recycled Bed Sheets