Oh, yes — you CAN have a garden in winter!

How I managed to reach age 50 and never get the memo that garden-time runs all year long is beyond me. I've gardened for at least half of my life; mostly herbs and flower beds, and my M.O. has been to give up on gardening in late summer. As the days grew shorter, I would lose interest in the garden and let it run riot. My assumption about gardening and the onset of winter was, "game over, dude", so I'd store the tools with great plans for the next coming spring. A couple of years ago I began... Continue reading

Play it again, Sam!

I know, I know! It's already way into January but we've had requests to run this thing one more time. Register by midnight, January 20th, 2013 for email updates from the ADAT Journal to be entered to win your very own "2013 Deluxe Life Planner". It's a fabulous day runner/workbook, you can unsubscribe at anytime and we'd sooner stick bamboo shoots up our fingernails than sell your email address or send you spam so there's no risk. Follow this link to register and good luck! Continue reading

Alys Fowler: My new rock star hero!

Alys Fowler, an English gardener, and writer, has a videos series called "The Edible Garden" that details farming in an urban setting. What an inspiration! Her work and ideas are the embodiment of Deluxe living! A woman after my own heart, she works with the land and what the environment provides. She created a veritable Eden in her own backyard! Check out the episode above entitled "Peas and Beans". If you've got even a hint of love for playing in the dirt, you will be hooked! I aspire to... Continue reading

Making my New Year’s Resolutions Plan

I gave up making New Year's resolutions about 10 years ago. I mean, really. What are the statistics on the success of these well-intended promises we make to ourselves? Not high. And not only that, but we tend to overindulge before the big event, making them even detrimental. One year I vowed to give up sweets on the first day of the year. So on December 31st, I consumed a bag of cookies and several pieces of Key Lime pie someone brought to the New Year's Eve party. This is more than I would... Continue reading