From the candy to the costumes, Halloween is a fun-filled time for kids and parents alike. It can pose dangers to young revelers.  To help make this year’s festivity a trick-free treat, follow these simple safety tips:

Adorning Your Little Ghouls

• Choose a light-colored costume because these are easily seen at night. Add reflective tape or glow-in-the-dark tape to the front and back of the costume and to the trick-or-treat bag.
• Only buy a costume that is labeled “flame-retardant.” This means the material won’t burn. If you are making your own costume, use nylon or polyester materials, which are flame-retardant.
• Make sure wigs and beards don’t cover your kids’ eyes, noses, or mouths.
• Kids shouldn’t wear masks — they can make it difficult for them to see and breathe. Instead, use nontoxic face paint or makeup. Have younger kids draw pictures of what they want to look like. Older kids will have fun putting the makeup on themselves. Test the face paint or makeup on your child’s arm or hand before applying to make sure the paint doesn’t irritate the skin.
• Avoid colored or decorative contact lenses, unless they have been prescribed by an eye doctor for your child.
• Put a nametag — with your phone number — on your children’s costumes.
• Avoid oversized and high-heeled shoes that could cause kids to trip. Make sure the rest of the costume fits well, too, which can help prevent trips and falls.
• Make sure that any props your kids carry, such as wands or swords, are short and flexible.

Trouble-Free Trick-or-Treating

• Accompany young children (under age 12). Make sure they know how to call 911 in case they get lost. Check to make sure they know their home phone number.
• For older kids who are trick-or-treating on their own, find out the route they’ll be taking and when they’ll be coming home. Also be sure that they:
  • carry a cell phone, if possible
  • go in a group and stay together
  • only go to houses with porch lights on and walk on sidewalks on lit streets (never walk through alleys or across lawns)
  • walk from house to house (never run) and always walk facing traffic when walking on roads
  • stay away from candles and other flames
  • know to never go into strangers’ homes or cars
  • cross the street at crosswalks and never assume that vehicles will stop
• Give kids flashlights with new batteries. Kids may also enjoy wearing glow sticks as bracelets or necklaces.
• Limit trick-or-treating to your neighborhood and the homes of people you and your children know.
• When your kids get home, check all treats to make sure they’re sealed. Throw out candy with torn packages or holes in the packages, spoiled items, and any homemade treats that haven’t been made by someone you know.
• Don’t allow young children to have hard candy or gum that could cause choking.
• Make sure trick-or-treaters will be safe when visiting your home, too. Remove anything that could cause kids to trip or fall on your walkway or lawn. Make sure the lights are on outside your house and light the walkway to your door, if possible. Keep family pets away from trick-or-treaters, even if they seem harmless to you.

Gobbling Down Halloween Goodies

• Offer a filling meal before your kids head out to trick-or-treat so they won’t scarf down too much of their haul.
• Consider purchasing Halloween treats other than candy. Stickers, erasers, crayons, pencils, coloring books, and sealed packages of raisins and dried fruits are good choices.
• Know how much candy your kids have collected and store it somewhere other than their bedrooms. Consider being somewhat lenient about candy eating on Halloween, within reason, and talk about how the rest of the candy will be handled. Let kids have one or two treats a day instead of leaving candy out in big bags or bowls for kids to sample at will. Consider giving some of the treats away.

Take these quick and easy precautions to help your little ghosts and goblins have a hauntingly happy and safe Halloween.

One of my favorite things to grow during the fall and winter months is lettuce. Sure anyone can grab a bag of salad mix from the store for a couple of bucks, but if you’re a die-hard vegetable gardener like myself, you are going to need to get outside to get your daily dose of vitamin D or you’ll go nuts. Plus, we all know homegrown just tastes better!

Tips for Growing Salad Greens in Late Fall and Winter

Be patient. Lettuce germinates best in cooler temperatures, but if it gets too cold germination may slow down considerably. The ideal time to plant is two weeks before the first fall frost. Most lettuce varieties only take about 45 – 60 days to reach maturity.

Plant lettuce seeds and seedlings in containers. This way if a gust of cooler weather or a frost is headed your way, you can easily move the pots alongside your home or front porch and wrap them with a fabric cover or tuck the seedlings under a cloche.

Overseed. I consider it “insurance” for a great harvest. Be sure to sow seeds every two weeks for a good continuous crop of salad greens.


If you live in an area with harsh winters, no problem. You can still grow lettuce in the winter. Simply pick a sunny windowsill or pull out the grow lights because you can grow lettuce ANYWHERE! Indoors or out.

And last but not least, remember lettuce has shallow roots and needs good drainage or their delicate roots could freeze if left sitting in a container of soggy potting soil. 

Growing salad greens in the late fall and winter months can be a little bit of a challenge, but a homegrown dinner salad in the middle of winter… now that’s priceless.

Items you may Need:

Natura Hand Trowel

I know that I am always annoyed with where to hang my scarves. I want my closet neat and tidy but my scarves have no place to go. If I just throw them over a hanger, then they are on top of one another and it’s hard to get just the one you want without taking off ALL the scarves. I have found the perfect resolution to this annoying problem. Y’all are going to be kicking yourselves for not thinking of this. And the best part is you need only two items to complete it! Inexpensive items at that!

Supplies: Clothes Hangers Shower Curtain Rings Steps:

1. Place the shower curtain rings on the clothes hangers.
2. Place scarves through the shower curtain rings.
3. Hang in your closet.
4. Done!

With shorter days and the the first real snowfall around the corner, it’s the right time to finish last-minute projects around the house before winter sets in.

INSIDE 

1. CHECK VENTS:  Close vents in unheated basement area, but keep attic vents open.        Replace rusted or damaged pipes from gas water heaters and your dryer.
2. ADJUST THERMOSTATS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY. If you have multiple thermostats in    your home for different zones, set temperatures for the way you use the rooms: bedrooms     cooler, baths and sitting areas warmer.  PREVENT THE OVERLOAD OF ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS.Make certain electrical cords aren’t covered by rugs or heavy curtains; they can overheat and cause a fire.

 

 

 

 

 

Outside

1. CLEAR PATHWAYS AND STOOPS TO MAKE SNOW SHOVELING EASIER. Make sure there is ready access to your woodpile, gas and oil tanks, and garbage cans.
2. CLEAN GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS. But wait until most of the leaves have dropped. You may want to invest in a gutter scoop.
3. INSPECT SUPPORTS, RAILINGS, AND STAIRS. A flimsy handrail might give way when someone slipping on ice or snow grabs it suddenly. Check that footings under support posts are secure and haven’t shifted due to water infiltration, settling, or frost.
4. Take winter linens out of storage and launder. Dry clean garments packed in mothballs to remove the camphor odor. Toss out herbal repellants, as they lose their potency over time.

Your garden’s not ready to snooze just yet

Bulbs

If you haven’t put them in the ground already, hop to it. This is actually a great time to get bulbs, because they’re often 50% off or more as companies move their stock out. Use a bulb planter to speed the process (remember to sprinkle some bulb food in the bottom of the hole) and go to town across the garden. Bulbs look best in massed plantings, so think about that as you plan things out.

Be aware that some bulbs, like daffodils and iris, aren’t very interesting to gophers, and can in fact make a great protective ring around tender plants like young apple trees. Others, such as tulips, are a gopher’s delight, and need to be planted in cages and containers or you won’t see them come spring.

Clean Up Beds and Borders

All those dead plants? Yeah, it’s really time to make those go away now. Trim away dead foliage, uproot weeds, compost the leavings, and cultivate the beds to leave them smooth and even for next year. You can work in some mulch and compost to condition the soil, if you like. In mild climates, try planting overwintering flowers and crops, like mums and kale. In cooler reaches, well, all that ugly soil will be covered by snow soon!

Drain and Insulate Hoses, Standpipes, and Other Fixtures

With frost comes broken pipes, unless you act ahead of time. Drain all your outdoor water fixtures and cut their water supply so they won’t fill up. Put hoses in storage, and insulate your standpipes to prevent cracking and ice damage in the winter. When your neighbors are tearing their hair out and calling an emergency plumber over broken pipes, you can continue lounging in front of the heater.

Leaf Management

Still have a leaf problem? Not surprising — many trees are just starting to turn across the country. Set aside 30 minutes or so each week for leaf control.

Black & Decker LeafHog 12 Amp High Performance 240 mph Blower/Vacuum LH4500

 

For the Birds

Make sure your bird feeders are full for your avian visitors. They’ll appreciate seeds and suet during the cold winter months. Don’t be surprised if you see squirrels as well, looking for things to snack on. If you start noticing mice and rats, consider hiring a cat — but in the short term, you’ll want to try elevating the bird feeder and installing a tray to catch fallen seeds so they don’t end up on the ground.

Have fun working on your Checklist and when you are taking a break enjoy a Hot Beverage.