[Courtesy Simple Bites]

I am planting garlic today and then my fall planting will be done. I already have in:

Radishes
Spinach
Kale
Lettuce
Carrots
Green beans
Beets

The funny thing is, that’s me being conservative! (The voles wore me out.)

No matter what climate you’re in, chances are you can put in some fall plants. Why not stretch out the fresh food your garden is able to give you for as long as possible?

Here’s a round-up of past posts on planting a garden in autumn:

* Cool Season Crops
* What To Plant When
* Why Plant Garlic In The Fall

What are you planting this fall?

Daniel Hepper took old soda bottles and turned them into a Pac-Man ghost lamp. The project is pretty straight-forward: cut the bottles into ghost shapes, paint them, and hang them on a lamp.

Geeky and cute. [Craft]

Mint.Com has an interesting article on 15 Baby Money Traps To Avoid. Here’s a run-down:

Infrared baby monitors
Bed in a bag
Convertible cribs
Diaper wipe warmer
Bottle sterilizers
Baby videos
Vinci tablet
Baby knee pads
Color changing spoons
Thudguard
Walking wings
Baby TV
Baby perfume
Baby food processors
Baby gates–Pet gates are cheaper.

Read their reasoning here.

I hadn’t even heard of some of these things. Perfume for babies? Huh?

The only thing I’m not sure of is convertible cribs, which seem like they could save some money.

What do you think are the biggest baby money traps?

I love this lamp! It’s in the form of an exclamation mark! I wish I could afford it!

More punctuation mark lamps here.

The New York Times has an interesting article on whether junk food is really cheaper. It turns out, it isn’t.

As I said in the post on 10 ways to cut your food bill, it is often cheaper to cook for yourself at home than to eat at a fast food restaurant (although that takes more time an effort). The article agrees:

I frequently read confident statements like, “when a bag of chips is cheaper than a head of broccoli …” or “it’s more affordable to feed a family of four at McDonald’s than to cook a healthy meal for them at home.”

This is just plain wrong. In fact it isn’t cheaper to eat highly processed food: a typical order for a family of four — for example, two Big Macs, a cheeseburger, six chicken McNuggets, two medium and two small fries, and two medium and two small sodas — costs, at the McDonald’s a hundred steps from where I write, about $28. (Judicious ordering of “Happy Meals” can reduce that to about $23 — and you get a few apple slices in addition to the fries!)

In general, despite extensive government subsidies, hyperprocessed food remains more expensive than food cooked at home. You can serve a roasted chicken with vegetables along with a simple salad and milk for about $14, and feed four or even six people. If that’s too much money, substitute a meal of rice and canned beans with bacon, green peppers and onions; it’s easily enough for four people and costs about $9. (Omitting the bacon, using dried beans, which are also lower in sodium, or substituting carrots for the peppers reduces the price further, of course.)

It then goes on to say the reason why people don’t cook as much anymore doesn’t have to do with a lack of time either: “The real challenge is not “I’m too busy to cook.” In 2010 the average American, regardless of weekly earnings, watched no less than an hour and a half of television per day. The time is there.”

So if people have the time to cook and it is cheaper and healthier to do so, why don’t they? One of several reasons the article suggests is that people view cooking as work. They think it is a chore, so they don’t want to do it, especially after a long day of work.

The solution, the article says, its “Real cultural changes … Somehow, no-nonsense cooking and eating — roasting a chicken, making a grilled cheese sandwich, scrambling an egg, tossing a salad — must become popular again, and valued not just by hipsters in Brooklyn or locavores in Berkeley. The smart campaign is not to get McDonald’s to serve better food but to get people to see cooking as a joy rather than a burden, or at least as part of a normal life.”

What do you think?

How cute are these Child’s Menagerie Chairs and Table? I particularly like the table, but the chairs are cute too:

From the site:

All pieces are finished with a water-borne, non-toxic natural varnish to protect the wood and ensure that the pieces can be easily wiped clean of fingerprints (and peanut butter & jelly).

This set is on the pricey side–$198 for the chairs and $238 for the table, or $598 for the table and two chairs. Pretty adorable, though. [Ohdeedoh]

(Yeah… camera still being cleaned…)

When you’re talking about window treatments, there are lots of options and a lot to consider. You have to think about privacy, sun blockage, wear-and-tear, cleaning, and of course, the overall design.

I’ve talked about how to install blinds and how to make your own, but I’ve never reviewed all the options. So let’s start looking at them.

Here are five types of shades or blinds:

Wooden Blinds–These traditional blinds look great on a window. They fit almost any kind of decor and can be paired with curtains. The downside is that they are expensive and can’t be used in room with high-moisture, like the bathroom, since the wood warps. (They do offer faux-wood versions too.) If you shop around, you can find good prices on wooden shades.

Plantation Shutters–My friends have plantation shutters and I love them. They are a type of wooden shutter that are “promotes the free flow of air through a structure in a warm climate,” according to this site. Wooden shutters add value to a house and last a long time. The downside is that they are very expensive and usually have to be installed by a professional. Is the look worth the cost? It depends on your budget, but the payback may be worth it.

Honeycomb Blinds–Also called Cellular Blinds, these are shades that look like this up close:

Honeycomb shades give a room serenity and are best for windows that get bright light. They offer up to 99% UV-protection, which means they are an energy-efficient option that may help drop your cooling bills. The downsides it that they are difficult to clean–always a problem with window treatments–and there is no middle-ground to the light control. The shades are either open or closed, no in-between.

Roman Shades–These fabric shades fit in your window and are a compromise between curtains and shades. Because they come in many styles and fabrics, Roman shades offer versatility in design options. They can look great or tacky. Roman shades are reasonably priced and can often be removed and washed like curtains. They aren’t good in rooms with high-moisture, however, since they can mildew.

Bottom-Up Shades–Instead of pulling these blinds down from the top, you pull them up from the bottom. They are best for second-story windows because they allow for privacy and still let light in. They are great for keeping people from looking into your home.

What do you have on your windows?

(My camera is being cleaned, so I had to improvise a graphic for this post.)

Awhile back, it occurred to me that I needed a wide-mouth funnel for canning or transferring bigger things, like dried beans, to bottles. I looked in the store and found that they start at $6, so I decided to make one out of an old 2-liter soda bottle instead.

All you do is cut around the top of the bottle and invert it so it works like a funnel. Very simple and it works great. I’ve used the funnel countless times and even wash it in the dishwasher when it’s dirty.

And the best part is that it didn’t cost a thing.

I’m curious about this Candy Corn Cheesecake Mousse from Glorious Treats. The recipe uses Cool Whip, which is not my favorite ingredient–however, you could substitute real whip cream if you prefer. In any case, it certainly looks amazing. [Craft]

[Courtesy hans s]

Chickens can be mean. They often fight for domination and pull each other’s feathers out, and will even peck each other to death if given the chance.

This video helped me understand how the pecking order works with chickens:

I’m dealing with this right now with my flock. Olivia has a bald patch on her back from the other chicken, Penny, pulling out her feathers. To be fair, Olivia will attack or peck at anything, which seems like it would be annoying to live with. Maybe, if I were a chicken, I would want to put her in her place too.

There has been no blood so far, but to prevent that from happening, I’m thinking of getting some anti-peck lotion–something nontoxic that tastes bad and will deter, or at least reduce, the pecking.

I’m not sure what to get, so would appreciate any suggestions you have.