We could have a very heated discussion about health benefits in the U.S. right now while we are weathering this pandemic, but I am focusing on the simple, yet never really clear, things about health insurance plans. If you’re lucky to be on the healthy side and mostly only using your health plan for preventative…
Many years ago, I was in a doctor’s office waiting room, thumbing through an issue of Eating Well magazine while I waited. That issue’s feature was blueberries and there were so many great recipes in that issue, I stopped by the bookstore and bought that month’s issue to keep as a reference (and promptly became…
Something that I actually don’t do often, despite it consistently being delicious and easy to do, is make ice cream. The best part is that when I make ice cream, I have the chance to use the best vanilla on the planet to make it! Ice cream sounds hard to make (and it is, if…
Something we’ve hesitated doing in our house for one reason or another over many years is using our fire pit (this is not the first one we’ve owned, but the first we have actually used). While living in Chicagoland, we were impressed by the amount of fire pits blazing in neighbors’ driveways on Sunday afternoons in…
I have a relationship with yoga that has evolved over time. When I first began taking classes, about 25 years ago, I didn’t stick with it long term because I wanted to sweat when I “worked out” and I struggled to make time for both yoga and running/weightlifting/sweaty cardio. Over the years I have had…
About 10 years ago, I discovered a recipe for no-knead bread that is a game-changer: NY Times No-Knead Bread Recipe. Prior to this I was making bread in a bread-maker and really hadn’t had much success with savory breads. The best part of this No-Knead Bread recipe is that I didn’t even need the bread-maker!…
We are currently experiencing a pandemic. With that comes a lot of confusion (wear a mask or don’t wear a mask?), constant bombardment of advice (wash your hands more thoroughly, don’t touch your face, and stay at home!), and major disruption to our “normal” routines (e.g parents becoming teachers with their students home with them…
Have you ever heard of a Tapestry Hedge? I hadn’t, either, until I stumbled upon it recently while researching information about landscape screening with shrubs. Apparently, based on the various websites that popped up via a search through my second brain (Google), tapestry hedges are much more common in the UK and Canada. Lucky for us,…
I was looking through the July 2018 Better Homes & Gardens magazine and came across an article called Petal Power. The article features Sierra Steifman’s website, http://www.thefloralsociety.com, which offers flower-arranging kits, instructional videos, and related decor. The workshop-in-a-box kits come with everything you need to create your arrangement (besides the flowers and vessels). What a…
Many of us hope to be positive in our outlook on life, but sometimes we are surrounded by so much negativity and toxicity that we identify as pessimists or believe that being positive is for “other people.” As with most things that are worthwhile, positivity takes some effort and practice, even for those of us…
Polystyrene, also known as Plastic number 6, and commonly referred to as Styrofoam (in the same way some people refer to all tissues as Kleenex). Technically, Styrofoam is a Dow Chemical-trademarked name for Extruded Polystyrene used for building insulation and floral foam. So, the rest of the polystyrene family (CD cases, coffee cups, packing materials,…
Here is a good guide to help demystify the numbers you see in the “chasing arrows” recycling triangle on plastics: Smart Plastics Guide. Also, for my visual learners, see below, which I found in this informative blog post: What do Plastic Recycling Symbols Mean?.
I have written before about one of my favorite gardening shows to listen to, always hoping to find another to add to my list. While searching Stitcher for gardening podcasts one day a couple of months ago, I discovered a fellow NJ gardener, Mike the Gardener. Mike Podlesny primarily focuses on vegetable gardening, complete with a…
It was quite a year. I recently started entertaining the idea of becoming more active with Positively Grounded again, after a crushing year of abundant work, fruitless exam studying, and a move (and, all the normal life stuff that happens along the way). I have let quite a few things that are important to me…
In case you are wondering why the blogs posts have been few and far between, I have put Positively Grounded into semi-hibernation while I allow all of my “free” time to be consumed by studying for my architectural licensing exams. Pursuit of my license was not originally part of my career plan when I graduated…
Positively Grounded 