NewlyWoodwards

an unconventional home

Renovation progress report – week 1

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If you’ve been through a home renovation, you know that things have to get worse before they get better. This is why I’m happy to say that it’s getting worse in our neck of the woods. Which means better is just around the bend. I mentioned a few things yesterday. Namely, the kitchen is cleared […]

The first week of renovation – good, bad and ugly

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First of all, I just want to thank you all for your kind words and encouragement on our announcement about the new (to us) house. Wow! We were blown away and are so thankful. A few housekeeping items:– I plan to put together at least one weekly renovation progress report with the ups and downs […]

Jam it, pickle it, cure it – homemade beef jerky

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When we were in St. Louis, we got to make a quick stop into Williams-Sonoma. I adore Williams-Sonoma and wish we had one closer. Mostly because, as I’ve mentioned, I have a love for kitchen gadgets. And, I just love to look around and browse the books. Well, I happened to spot this funky book […]

Yellow flowery bags – an example of reuse

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I’m here to show you two of the most recent bags I’ve assembled as gifts. My favorite part of them – the exterior is a fun yellow tablecloth and the interior is a vintage sheet – both from Goodwill. So, they are totally being recycled for this new purpose. I knew I had scored when […]

Featured and flattered

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Thanks to Alma at our local paper, the Quad-City Times, for featuring our garden and the blog again in the paper today. Ryan was especially pleased that “his” crops of onions, potatoes and corn made the paper. Alma also researched the cause of the spots on the tomatoes. The bad news is that the problem […]

Yes I can – dill pickles

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I love pickles. I still remember the giant dill pickles at the local roller-skating rink. I would always bring 50 cents to buy one. Yum! Today, my pickle of choice are Claussen pickles. But, now, I decided to try out pickle-making for myself. When I met up with Jen last weekend, she asked me if […]