How do you find your style? How do you keep expenses under control? What essential pieces does every home need for maximum functionality and flair? How will you merge tastes—and stuff—to create a space that feels like home to you both? Here to take the guesswork out of decorating is The Nest Home Design Handbook, a practical, gorgeous, room-by-room guide to giving your place unique and affordable style.Learn how to: -Design with your inner stylist in mind-Arrange your living room-Mix modern pieces and Mom's hand-me-downs-Choose the right paint colors-Freshen a formal kitchen space-Make a small space look bigger-Hang pictures properly-Jazz up your walls-Buy good furniture (on a budget)-Kill the clutterPLUS: Suggestions for displaying your stuff in fun and interesting ways, DIY wall art ideas, tips for organizing every room, information on basic home repairs, and more!

    The authors of Haley's Hints offer tips for cleaning around the home using common household products with multiples uses, presenting more than one thousand ingenious, economical solutions to help clean, unclutter, organize, and deodorize the home with such common products as toothpaste and vinegar.

    Steve Bender, senior garden writer at Southern Living magazine, offers customized advice for all five southern climate zones, making it simple to understand what plant in each zone. The plant encyclopedia features information on more than 5,000 plants.

      PLEASE NOTE:  The goal of these recipes, especially the bonus chapters for QUICK salads, breads, and desserts is to prepare something delicious yet fast.  To accomplish this, reliance on some prepared foods is required.  If you prefer not to use prepared food items, then you can replace with fresh ingredients or consider purchasing a cookbook that is more to your culinary liking.  However, if you want to be in and out of the kitchen fast, then you will appreciate these recipes that are quick without sacrificing on taste.As calendars fill up, it gets harder and harder to find the time to enjoy family meals together. The recipes in this cookbook can help you ease that dinnertime crunch. All it takes is a slow cooker and this versatile collection of recipes, and you're on the way to preparing delicious meals that simmer for hours and are ready to serve in minutes at the end of the day. Each one of these 80 exceptional ideas has personally been tested to guarantee that it works perfectly and is practical for your family.You will find main dishes for every taste - from beef, pork, and lamb entrées to poultry, fish, and meatless recipes. Plus there are slow-simmering side dishes and appetizers to tote to potlucks or serve at parties. And to make meal planning easy, you can take advantage of the three bonus chapters that showcase quick salads, breads, and desserts to round out slow-cooker meals. If you have questions about slow cooking, check the slow cooker basics chapter for helpful information.With the creative ideas in Satisfying Slow Cooker Meals and More, you will always have the help and inspiration you need to fit satisfying home-cooked meals into your busy family's routine.

    Most books on smoking just give some elementary information and then are filled with recipes; this book is the reverse, scholarly information and theory as it applies to smoking meats and a few recipes that will get one started. While various recipes usually get the spotlight, it is the authors' opinion that the technical know-how behind preparing meats and sausages is far more important. There is a section with some basic recipes, but after reading the book one should be able to create his own recipes without much effort. The book explains differences between grilling, barbecuing and smoking. The sections on smokehouse design include over 250 construction diagrams and photos that cover most known methods: masonry, portable, wood, concrete, and drum smokers. After reading this book a reader will fully comprehend what can be expected of any particular smoker and how to build one that will conform to his individual needs. The book will benefit the serious smoker as well as the beginner.

    The grace and elegance of the Japanese sensibility is reflected in both modern and traditional Japanese homes, from their fluid floor plans to their use of natural materials. In The Japanese House, renowned Japanese photographer Noboru Murata has captured this Eastern spirit with hundreds of vivid color photographs of 15 Japanese homes. As we step behind the lens with Murata, we're witness to the unique Japanese aesthetic, to the simple proportions modeled after the square of the tatami mat; to refined, rustic decor; to earthy materials like wood, paper, straw, ceramics, and textiles. This is a glorious house-tour readers can return to again and again, for ideas, inspiration, or simply admiration.

    Having an understanding of the domestic arts gives you a sense of control over your life. These skills also help you save money, not by chasing deals, but by teaching the principle of the mantra: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. Life skills are the essence of frugality. Whether you just moved out of your parent?s basement or you cut the apron strings a while ago, you?ll learn the skills you need to manage your household.Inside you?ll find: Quick, easy cleaning solutions for every room of the house, so you can get the job done and get on with life Instructions for removing stubborn stains and offensive odors from fabric Simple fixes to wardrobe malfunctions including broken zippers, missing buttons, and fallen hemlines Troubleshooting advice for common problems with home appliances A minimum home maintenance guide to prevent or catch major repair problems A basic plumbing tutorial that includes clearing and preventing clogs, stopping a running toilet and retrieving items dropped down a drain Ideas for healthy and fast meal planning so you can start cooking and stop relying on takeout or preservative-packed convenience food Definitions of common cooking terms and techniques found in recipes Plans for stocking a pantry so you can make dinner (even if you haven?t been grocery shopping in a week) and be prepared when disaster strikes A complete rundown of essential kitchen equipment from knives to pans to small appliances Equip yourself with the skills you need for everyday life.

    When it comes to creating a home, 'Thrifty Chic' shows you how to reuse and restore, revive and revamp, and recycle and reclaim, in order to create a stylish yet individual home without spending a small fortune.

    This low calorie slow cooker recipe book makes it easy to cook healthy, affordable meals without spending hours in the kitchen. At 450 calories or less per serving, these stew, chicken, beef, and pork recipes will help you lose weight as you enjoy delicious, nutritious meals.

    You'll love cooking, hosting and eating from this treasure of good food.

    But most of us don’t have the time to spend hours in the kitchen. Steve and Kathy are no exception, and with The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook, they bring together more than a hundred recipes for favorite comfort foods that come together in a flash—from last-minute entrees to set-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker meals. The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook includes recipes covering a variety of occasions and favorite foods, from holidays, casseroles, and one-pot meals to chicken, pasta, and desserts, as well a whole chapter devoted to the ultimate comfort ingredient: potatoes. Steve and Kathy also share their clever Happy in a Hurry Hacks, which save prep and cooking time and can be used no matter what recipes you're using. Best of all, they include more hilarious and heartwarming stories from the Doocy family and (some well-known) friends.With The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook you can enjoy time-saving, all-American home cooking at its best—nothing fancy, everything delicious—with recipes such as:Buffalo Chicken TacosCarrot Cake WafflesRed, White, and Blueberry Summer Fruit SaladCrockpot CarnitasPumpkin-Swirled Mashed PotatoesSweet Tea Fried ChickenBacon Braided Smoked Turkey BreastRitz Cracker Crust Peanut Butter PieSix-Minute Strawberry Pie Best of all, the easy, pleasing recipes in The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook leave you and your family with more time to do the things you love!The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook is illustrated with 65 color food photos throughout and homey shots of the Doocys with friends and family, sure to please their many fans.

    101" Stephanie Ashcraft has stepped up to the plate (and bowl, and serving tray) with an amazing collection of timesaving recipes.From South of the Border Pot Roast to Hearty Vegetable Soup to Cherries Jubilee, now anyone can make hearty, healthy dishes for the whole family the "throw-n-go" way. Simply throw several ingredients into the slow cooker, get on with life, and come home to a kitchen filled with the aroma of real home cooking. 101 recipes for main courses, side dishes, desserts, and more are included, along with suggestions for how and what to serve with each dish, time-saving meal preparation tips, and easy modifications to fit your families tastes.

    This book features the most extensive collection of Mary Engelbreit's work ever published, and it represents nearly 40 years of Mary's art. The new paperback version features a revised preface.

    Crocheting skills are learned by working on projects, beginning with something very easy and getting progressively more difficult as the reader works through the book. New skills are explored in depth as they are introduced. The introductory section covers all the basics of crochet-selecting yarn, hook types and sizes, other tools and accessories, crochet gauge, chaining, forming the basic stitches, reading patterns-making this the most comprehensive beginner’s book available. The online video tutorials created to supplement this book are an additional learning tool demonstrating the essential techniques used in crochet.

    It's easy and inexpensive to mix up effective, nontoxic alternatives using basic kitchen staples — baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, herbs, and borax — plus a handful of easy-to-find essential oils. Karyn Siegel-Maier offers 150 all-natural recipes for cleaning everything in your home — from bathrooms to bedding, carpets to cabinetry. The formulas are so simple that anyone can make them, but they are at least as effective as the commercial options. Try making your own Rosemary-Geranium Floor Wipes for electrostatic floor mops, Weekend Warrior Wicker Wash, Telephone Dirty Talk Tamer, Clear the Air Room Spritzer, or Lavender Lift Automatic Dishwasher Soap.