Whether you're interested in straw bale houses or curious about rock gardens - this issue of is sure to engage. The fall issue of Boulder County Home & Garden Magazine hits stands this week!



Guarantee a copy direct to your door when you subscribe here.

Fall is Coming ... yay!

I LOVE the change of season, and Fall is my favorite! I can't help but think about all the projects I'm ready to take on now that the weather is cooling down.

In no particular order, here are the projects I find are best done in the fall.

1. Pull out all the cold weather outerwear and gear, clean, replace, and repair - snow will be here before I know it!
2. Plant trees, shrubs and fall flowers.
3. Replace sheer curtains with heavier drapes to minimize draftiness.
4. Buy ski passes!
5. Clean out the gutters (ahem, a job reserved for my dear husband!)
6. Steam clean carpets and upholstery.
7. Gather new craft ideas to keep the little one happy when it's too cold to go outside.

I hope I've inspired you to tackle your to-do list, too! If you need any other creative home ideas, please log on to www.homeandgardenmag.com to check out the latest how-to and inspiration articles!

Part Three of my Organic Gardening Adventure- by Susan Tucker

Gardening is one of the most rewarding experiences I can think of. And, the biggest reward of MY garden is the bounty of squash! (Especially since not much else has survived). I never even knew that I liked it ....until now. If your garden is anything like my garden, than you're most certainly looking for some summer squash recipes. Here is a recipe help you along the way.

Squash & Spaghetti Summer Surprise
2 freshly picked summer squash
10 or so cherry tomatoes, halved
any other veggies you'd like to toss in
1/2 yellow onion
olive oil
garlic
1 cup fat free chicken broth
fresh basil
1 lb fresh pasta (in the refrigerator section)


Saute onion and garlic in large sauce pan, add squash. Pour in about a cup of broth. Cook for about 8 minutes. In the meantime, cook pasta by package directions (takes 2 min), toss with olive oil and basil. Add squash mixture and serve.

Look for more recipes in the September version of HG eNews. Sign up online at www.homeandgardenmag.com

Late Summer Organizing

I'd like to thank our Guest Blogger, Terri Lynn Mabbit of Chaos2Calm for contributing to today's post. This will be the first of three in a series on organizing.

First day of class is just around the corner, and with that comes the mounting pile of paperwork that goes along with it. I asked Teri Lynn a few questions on tips for managing the mess and here's what she had to say:



When is it ok to destroy important papers (7 years, 3 years, 1 year?)?
The answer is all three! The amount of time you hold on to papers depends on the type of paper you have. For anything related to the IRS and your tax filing, refer to http://www.irs.gov/individuals/index.html for specific IRS guidelines. Of course the document retention guidelines for individuals versus business owners will be completely different so be sure to look in the appropriate section. Better yet, If you own a business or have a more complicated tax situation, ask your CPA for a "retention schedule" that will list out all the documents that you should retain. For ALL the other documents here are some questions to ask yourself in order to determine what you need to keep and what you can shred.

Examples:
Checking deposit slips- toss after you double check the monthly statement
Paycheck stub- only keep the December stub, toss the rest after you confirm all is correct, toss the December version long enough to verify the W-2 is correct
Documents to keep indefinitely- Marriage/birth/death/divorce papers, SS cards and numbers, estates, trusts etc.

What do you recommend for home bill and all the frivolous snail mail management?
There are only three types of paper that come into our life:
*Paper that needs to be tossed
*Paper that needs to be filed
*Paper that requires some action on our part ("to do")

Although Junk mail is a problem from an environmental standpoint it's not the cause of our paper disorganization! The real issue is that most of us have a breakdown in our paper management systems. We don't know what to file or how to file it, we don't know how to properly manage our "to-do's" and we mismanage our time. This is the true cause of the paper backlog on our desks, not the junk mail. A proper paper "flow" with a working file system, project management or "to-do" system and big trash can will take away our junk mail woes. This doesn't solve the environmental impact of course but that is another discussion!

Thanks Teri Lynn for this intro into paper organzation! Stay tuned for more tips!

Liven Up Your Life with COLOR!

Fuchsia, Aubergine, Hot Spice; Venetian plaster, Gilding, Faux Marble .... words from my journey into the world of a Manhattan Interior Designer.

Prior to a recent weekend trip to visit my aunt and uncle in NYC, I was very comfortable living in my earthen oasis of browns, reds and blues. In the past, bright, "loud" colors have always made me think of flashy, old women that retire in Florida and put pink flamingos in the front lawn. I've spent the better half of my adult life sprinting from anything remotely similar.

Needless to say, when my dear aunt Trisha - who is an Interior Designer- started telling me about her new house we were about to visit and began rambling off all these crazy, unfamiliar colors and finishes, I checked out faster than a Vegas dealer flips cards. That is, until I had the first-hand opportunity to experience life from her gilded walls.

Colors have long been known to have an effect on our body's energy. In the early 1900's Max Luscher created standard method of diagnosis based on emotional reactions to color and in India, Ayurvedic healers have used color therapy for thousands of years. It's no wonder that Trisha has boundless energy. Could it possibly be from her enthusiastic application of pink? (Was I starting to feel more lively, too?)

From the dining room (plastered fuchsia) to the living room (layered greens) to the master bedroom (gilded gold), not one inch was overlooked and every vignette had a story. More than a showpiece, her townhouse is a living work of art brimming with complimentary hues, shapes and history.

Since visiting, my pink Flamingo lady image is starting to fade and I am whole-heartedly excited to incorporate a little va-voom into my subdued, earthy life. My first project is the master bedroom, next stop, family room. Thanks for the inspiration!

To help you get color inspired, look out for the fall issue of Boulder County Home & Garden Magazine coming Oct 1st.

Enter to Win FREE Energy!

Who says the officials of Boulder don't care? This just in ... Xcel Energy has teamed up with the City of Boulder (and various other caring businesses) to give away a FREE energy makeover! How cool - or hot - is that?

The contest doesn't start until Friday (7/13) so link up your Blackberry (or simply mark your calendar) then log on to the Smart Energy Living website to put your name in the pot.

Click here for more info.

Stay tuned for results!

Part Two of My Organic Gardening Adventure - by Susan Tucker

After a slow start, the vegetables in the garden are starting to grow. The cilantro and mint are exploding, the lettuce lush and the green onion shooting up to the clouds. I think I'm on the road to success, then slowly a brown patch begins to take over the our sweet innocent green tomatoes. What is it? Tomato blight.

Thanks goodness for the nice, informative fellas at McGuckin. They directed me to a copper formula that seems pretty easy to use and will most certainly cure our problem. While there, I was sure to get some new, very cute, gardening gloves and pruning shears. I love McGuckin!

I'll deal with our blight issue, and in the meantime, I'll be sure to NOT overwater, and finally get to the weeding. For I am DETERMINED to upload photos of the luscious fruits of my labor come fall!