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Clutter Busters

Clutter Busters

‘Cleanliness and order are not matters of instinct; they are matters of education, and like most great things, you must cultivate a taste for them.” I slumped into my La-Z-Boy as I finished reading this quotation ...

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Knife Sharpeners

Knife Sharpeners

Pride goeth... My best gal pal Bernice has a niece, newly engaged and eager to learn the secrets of domestic bliss. Bernice sent her to me for an introduction to the kitchen. I was pleased ...

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Cream Me

Cream Me

Remarkable! Each lady I called had a different favorite body lotion. That’s a first for Eve’s surveys. Not one repeat. The search was for a body lotion that moisturized but wasn’t greasy. My daughter suffers ...

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Water Pumps

Water Pumps

“If I have to evacuate, will you take my goats?” “I’ll take your goats but not your kids!” I still can’t believe I said that. ... More Comment (1)

Paintball

Paintball

My man Patrick will be donning his goggles, taking up his gun, and heading to the field for his first battle. A work colleague has ... More Post a comment

Fishpond

Fishpond

There is something about the combination of longer daylight hours and spring air that brings a hunger for back-yard projects. And it’s been growling in ... More Post a comment

Recycled Booty

Recycled Booty

My jewelry box bears within it the booty of 25 years’ worth of self-adornment, and when I stopped to think about it, I realized that ... More Post a comment

She's a Keeper

She's a Keeper

Spring is here and pal Bernice has soccer on the brain. A layer of dust has descended on her cleats in the closet. Her shoe ... More Comments (2)

Cat Condos

Cat Condos

“Mom, do you call Mrs. Phelan a cat lady because she looks like a cat?” Smart kid. Mrs. Phelan, who works as an aide at ... More Post a comment

Beer!

Beer!

“When I was a child in Mayo,” said my Irish mother as we drove along the Embarcadero, “my aunt used to send me down to ... More Post a comment

Living Space

Living Space

As my mother’s memory gets shorter, the East Coast winters that seep into her bones tend to get longer — especially when she forgets to ... More Post a comment

Pruners

Pruners

The breath of heaven bush encroaches on my garden statuary. In the back yard, the trumpet vine escapes into the neighbor’s yard. And the branches ... More Post a comment

Tat Removal

Tat Removal

I’m not too many years shy of 40, and the anchor tattoo on my ankle has been with me since I was 21. The guy ... More Comment (1)

Cart-Away Concrete

Cart-Away Concrete

My husband Patrick comes down with the home-improvement bug a few times a year. And he’s had it bad lately. He’s tired of the tiny ... More Post a comment

Astroturfers

Astroturfers

‘I give it ten years before water costs as much as gas costs now,” said Patrick as he looked up from his morning Internet browse. ... More Post a comment

Quilting

Quilting

My daughter was thrilled to sew a baby quilt with Aunt Rose during her Thanksgiving vacation. It would be her first quilt — an Ohio ... More Post a comment

Genie Machine

Genie Machine

‘The emotional traumas of life have permanent or long-lasting effects unless you do something to intervene,” said Dr. Lawrence Stowe, the Stowe Foundation’s managing director ... More Post a comment

Biotherapy

Biotherapy

‘Biotherapy? In La Mesa?” asked my husband as we strolled through town admiring the new shops. “Sounds like something you should check out.” The next ... More Post a comment

Electrical Donations

Electrical Donations

The after-Christmas glut of stuff landed hard on the Kelly home — every surface was laden with goodies waiting to find a place on our ... More Post a comment

Barn Owl Boxes

Barn Owl Boxes

My husband Patrick is a bird lover. He spots birds and calls out their names to our kids. Birds of prey are a particular love, ... More Comment (1)

Personal Assistant

Personal Assistant

Uncle Max's lady friends come and go, along with their unsolicited shopping advice and their dubious aid in the lifestyle department. But he always comes ... More Post a comment

Sparkling Wines

Sparkling Wines

2008 is almost upon us, and the Kelly household is going to party. And party for many reasons: new babies, new engagements, newlyweds, and new ... More Post a comment

Xmas Tree Farms

Xmas Tree Farms

My earliest Christmas-tree memories are not of candy canes or twinkling lights, but of cold knuckles and snow boots. Always, in the first week of ... More Post a comment

Calligraphy

Calligraphy

A couple of years ago I took up lettering. Once a week I would spend a few hours copying letters, mainly the italic form. I ... More Post a comment

Auto Detailing

Auto Detailing

My great aunt Edna is the just-so lady -- "A place for everything and everything in its place." Her home in Pasadena might be a ... More Post a comment

Holiday Traditions

Holiday Traditions

The Kelly household could use some fresh holiday traditions. I want my kids thinking globally during this holiday season. Happily, I have many friends from ... More Post a comment

Topricin brand pain reliever

Topricin brand pain reliever

For years, all I had to do was wince in the presence of my mother-in-law and out came the Advil. Mom was caring for her ... More Post a comment

Emergency Kits

Emergency Kits

The fires hit close to home; a few friends were evacuated. "We took nothing with us," said Andra, "which wasn't the smartest. If the fire ... More Post a comment

Reflexology

Reflexology

I got curious about reflexology after my sister-in-law convinced me to let a woman at a spa rub hot rocks against my feet for an ... More Post a comment

Men's Underwear

Men's Underwear

'I'm at the age and size when regular briefs -- or, as I call them, 'tighty whiteys' -- just aren't working for me anymore," my ... More Post a comment

Dictionary

Dictionary

They dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon... -- from "The Owl and the Pussycat," by Edward Lear ... More Post a comment

Horse-riding Boots

Horse-riding Boots

My daughter is obsessed with horses. Her room is decorated with equine photos, her bookshelf stocked with classic horse books, and her dream is to ... More Post a comment

Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter

'You ever wonder about the 'high fructose' in 'high fructose corn syrup'?" asked Patrick as he scanned the ingredients of his Rice Krispies. "It sounds ... More Post a comment

Homemade Frozen Food

Homemade Frozen Food

It's the year of the baby in Kellyville. Four families within our group of friends are expecting babies to arrive around the holidays. And Eve ... More Post a comment

Beads

Beads

'That's it," said my friend Bernice, exhausted and grumpy after what was supposed to be a relaxing afternoon of shopping. "Customer service is officially a ... More Post a comment

Board Games

Board Games

Clean notebooks and sharpened pencils, white sneakers and new socks, homework and carpooling -- the school year has begun. This year's hectic schedule of school ... More Post a comment

Spoilers

'Tricked out?" I asked Patrick, incredulous. "You want to get the minivan tricked out? Let's get serious. I'm not sure that a Toyota Sienna is ... More Post a comment

Top-loading Clothes-washing Machines

My sister Meg has a growing brood and an overflowing laundry room. "I can never seem to get on top of the laundry scene," she ... More Post a comment

Roadside Auto Service

I strolled out of Nordstrom Rack, my bag heavy with suede pumps, cropped pants, and strappy tops. Just before I got to my car, I ... More Post a comment

Wildlife Capture

The e-mail was titled, "When Wildlife Comes Visiting the Garage." My curiosity was piqued. My friend Austin lives in an exciting world. Her nickname is ... More Post a comment

Kosher Foods

'Mom, what's Shabbat?" That was Liam, the 13 year old. He's been invited to his friend Alex's house next Friday and wanted to know what ... More Post a comment

Bread for Diabetics

A few weeks ago, I found sugar-free water for my friend Jennifer who has gestational diabetes. Jen's been a bit down in the dumps about ... More Post a comment

Pool Cleaners

'I was up in Carlsbad and stopped into a thrift store," chirped my friend Bernice, "and do you know what I found there? A Barracuda ... More Post a comment

Flavored Water

The bottled-water section dizzied me as I searched through the sea of containers for flavored water with no sugar. I was hunting out beverages for ... More Post a comment

Doggy Daycare

When her third child bolted off to college, my friend Janice thought she was free of her domestic duties. She returned to the workplace -- ... More Post a comment

Potluck Recipes

Summer party season is upon us, and my clan has already attended quite a few potluck barbecues. But I'm sick of my potluck side-dish offering: ... More Post a comment

Tents

My friend Shawn has long endured the nickname "Girlscout," despite the fact that she is over 40. No matter what event she attends, she always ... More Post a comment

Lawn Sprinklers

Patrick is a watering fiend. Over years of marriage, I have come to realize that he uses it as a relaxing escape. During early-morning hours ... More Post a comment

Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Nine p.m., Thursday. All I want to do is download a couple of episodes of The Office and relax with my husband while he rubs ... More Post a comment

Infant Massage

Babies are in the air. Everywhere I go I see babies or pregnant moms. Among families and friends, it's no different. My children will have ... More Post a comment

Colon Hydrotherapy

I've been tired, bordering on logy, all week. I eat pretty well, and I do a bit of walking, but I was beginning to think ... More Post a comment

Clutter-Organizing Service

My college friend Bernice was impressed with my feng shui research and spent the past week trying to rid her home of excess clutter, making ... More Post a comment

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