How to Save Your Planet

Green is finally something we think of often these days. Do you remember when we thought of as strange when we stuffed our children's waste papers in our purse and tried to buy only green items, or didn't buy plastic or styrofoam containers for our own use? Those days are gone! Thank goodness. I was strange for way too long!

I noticed on Ophra's website a list of ways we could save our planet. Now I know that we all know Ophra and maybe many of us go to her website, but just in case...I want to share that link with you: How to Save Your Planet. She makes a list of very simple steps that we can all think about doing. Even those of who don't care yet, could do these without any work on our part. They are easy steps that we could talk to our children about and maybe our neighbors and friends.

I'd like to see a pledge given between friends. Pledges often can work. I often find that if I pre-decide things then I don't have to think about it again. It just happens because it becomes part of me. I don't think about whether to be honest. It happens because I have decided that it is what I am. I am a green thinking person because I have decided that is who I am. No decisions need to be made. It is so much easier to work that way.

My friends came to know me for my cloth napkins that I used for years. I had oodles of them handed down from my great grandmother and filled in my needs with garage sale napkins. I have a drawer full of them. I use them all, iron them all at once and then start over. I iron like two times a year! I love the napkins because they are so I have never felt the need for paper napkins and find them inferior to cloth. How do you work that sticky stuff off your fingers with paper? I have a dear friend, Becky Cecil, who even bought me a book on how to fold napkins in hundreds of different fancy ways. She said that I was the only person she knew who used cloth napkins. For me, it was a simple statement made. I feel we must all make those statements to make our world a better place to be. It may not be a statement that helps us but it may help our future. What world do we want to leave behind for our grandchildren and their children? All that we do doesn't need to be just for us.

Meyda Tiffany Lighting

Winchuck River Store has found a new source of some incredibly nice rustic lighting. I managed to list some of their product that they have on sale yesterday. Listing is a very time consuming job, so it will take days not hours to get all our new product listed. I have put a picture here of a German Shepard that is very interesting. I imagine that only a German Shepard owner would purchase this lamp or maybe a Vet office.



Now, this Craftsman inspired lamp, is much more marketable because of the love we have for this style. It looks good in most homes, but especially in the casual rustic style that we promote on our website.



The company Meyda Tiffany, carries two lines that are completely our style of rustic metal and glass and sometimes wooden lamps for both the inside and outside. We will try very hard to get these listed in the next few days. Meanwhile, you can browse our website to see all the new product that we have listed. We also added a Decorating Idea page, where we will be putting pictures of our products used in many ways along with decorating tips that will help you understand just how to get the look you want. We would appreciate hearing from you as to what you would like for us to cover. Although Winchuck River Store is a selling venue, we would like to make it a place to go where we can share ideas and thoughts from not only our customers, but people who love the rustic. We might like to feature someone and their lifestyle. Think how interesting that might become! So, please communicate with us. Tell us your story and you just might become internet infamous!

Decorating for Spring

Winchuck River Store Introduces Spring

---

Easter is coming soon. It isn't too early to think about how you are going to bring in this joyous season when new life is about to emerge from a long winter's nap. We have made a slide show illustrating the use of 7 of our current products that can be used for an Easter display. I made up two of the baskets that I am giving to my Children to use for their family. I am sure that their children will enjoy having the spring celebration basket with Mr. and Mrs. Bunny standing nearby. I used a box of eggs, moss pad, bunny rabbits, duckweed twig basket, Easter ribbon and a happy bird to decorate with. All of the items are for sale on our website, www.winchuckriverstore.com.



I ran into a picture from a Magazine of a design by Martha Stewart that I believe we can re-create ourselves using a wooden or ceramic planting bowl, some filler such as paper or some sort of mounding material..it could be simply some clean sand and add some of our faux moss over the top of the mound. I know the moss in the picture appears to be the real thing, but some of us would rather have a non-organic version. We might have allergies or wish a cleaner option.

Easter will come and go, but you still have our duckweed and twig basket. What do we use it for now. Well, look how pretty some of our pears look in the basket! I also love the pears in my own metal basket. They never rot nor does my husband eat them faster than I can keep the supply re-stocked.

More is coming very soon, so don't forget to check back in. We would love to hear about your ideas and how you use our product or similar product. Just use the Contact button on the top of the page to email us.

this is a copy of the decorating page from our website

LOCAVORE Word of the Year in 2007

I received the following in an email today. I love to share such interesting and productive ideas to the world on the internet. It is something to think about, smile at our new word and maybe make plans to make our 2008 a year to ingest some healthy eating habits.

In this plate of food I see the entire Universe supporting our existence. Locavore is 2007's word of the year. The New Oxford American Dictionary chose locavore, a person who seeks out locally produced food, as its word of the year.

The local foods movement is gaining momentum as people discover that the best-tasting and most sustainable choices are foods that are fresh, seasonal, and grown close to home. Some locavores draw inspiration from:

<http://ucsaction.org/ct/-pwiOOd16SSq/ the 100-mile diet or from advocates of local eating like
http://ucsaction.org/ct/-7wiOOd16SS1/ Barbara Kingsolver.

Others just follow their taste buds to farmers' markets, community supported agriculture programs, and community gardens. Check out: <http://ucsaction.org/ct/GdwiOOd1bYAF/ Local Harvest to find sustainably grown food near you, and make a New Year's Resolution to be a locavore in 2008! This article was apparently written by: Thanks Margaret for sharing.

Margaret E. MacDonald
Western Organization of Resource Council
220 South 27th Street, Suite B
Billings, MT 59101
406.252.9672 ext. 208
406.252.1092 FAX

Looks Whos on Line

LOOK WHO'S ONLINE CO-OP OFFERS WEB SITE OPPORTUNITIES

Published: January 16, 2008

By Stacy Nadelman

Pilot staff writer

Not ones to let a good opportunity stay secret, Karen Clark, Jude Hodge and Bill Johnson have started a new organization to help Curry County businesses or online entrepreneurs promote their businesses – at no charge.

Their organization, Look Who's Online, is an advertising co-op with the only expense to members is the cost of advertising the co-op in local press, which will be divided among its members.

They will hold a meeting, open to the public, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, at the 360 Event Center, located at 15711 Highway 101.

"It's like a Yellow Pages in a way," Hodge said. "I think it's a service that's needed in the community.

Hodge sells Global Positioning Systems (GPS), manages her husband's business Web Site for Dave Hodge Cabinetry and owns Surfside Espresso at the port. She is currently a top ranked Platinum PowerSeller with eBay and has been published in Networking Times, Cutting Edge Media, Money, Makers Monthly, Net workers Advantage and is a contributing author in "Build it Big," a book published by Dearborn Publishing for Direct Selling Women's Alliance.

The idea came about when Hodge, read of an eBay class being offered by Clark. Hodge, a certified eBay educator herself, called Clark to discuss their common interest.

"Not many people do this locally," Hodge said. "I had to meet her!"

They met a few days later and talked about the need for more people with a "Web presence" in the area.

The most important thing they discussed, Hodge said, was the fact that they were both successful selling online and that there were probably others locally who sold their products on the Internet as well.

"But without a directory how does one know who is online?" said Hodge.

"The main thing we wanted, was to do this purely for networking," said Clark, who currently teaches eBay classes at South Western Oregon Community College. She's been featured in a book called, "Using Technology in Business" and manages two Web sites, one for Win Chuck River Store and the other, King Fisher Electric Boats. She also manages an eBay store.

Johnson, who was introduced to Hodge by Clark after attending Clark's eBay workshop, thought the idea of having an online directory for the Brookings-Harbor area was great. He joined the women, bringing his expertise in merchant accounts and they all spent a year formulating a Web site with the catchy name: LookWhosOnline.com. They then contacted the Brookings-Harbor Chamber of Commerce – and voila, they were in business.

"It's a way for brick and mortar businesses to market their existing Web sites," said Johnson, who's been an outside sales representatives, owned several businesses and been in mid management positions for two Fortune 500 companies. He currently owns Western Merchant Services, acting as a consultant for merchants who process credit cards at their location or on the Internet.

Look Who's Online is endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce. They are associated with the Chamber as a committee within the chamber, said Hodge.

"It's kind of like a Chamber of Commerce for online businesses," she said. "Our goal is to help everyone to become successful."

Clark, Hodge and Johnson will hold monthly meetings to teach anyone who is interested in becoming a member of the online co-op anything they need to know about advertising on the Internet.

One can visit the up-and- running Web site at www.LookWhosOnline.com.

For more information call Clark at (541) 412-0909, Hodge at (541) 251-2814 or Johnson at (541) 412-2780.

Adding Listings to My Website

Adding listings to my website

Whew! I have decided that in 2008, I will make the effort to get everything I sell on eBay will also be offered on my website. I have always found this double listing a big pain in the behind! Doing it over and over has finally made it easier to do. I have climbed over that humangous giant learning curve that only very mature internet users can appreciate.

I must've put in at least 50+ listings in the past two days. It does me no good to have all this stuff for sale and not offer it to every avenue that I have. Of course, I have to adhere to eBay policies and not advertise my website on my listings, but maybe someone will run into me on a browser. I make sure that each invoice I send to an eBay buyer has my website clearly posted on it with the information that I do offer FREE shipping on my website for most items.

At least I don't have to pay to list on my website so it is only my time that is spent. With my new expertise on double doing, I will continue to do each and every listing on both sites at the same time....well sorta the same time.

Open up these sites all at once on my computer:

• 
  open up either eBay or Turbo Lister


• 
  open up my photobucket sit


• 
  open up my listing site on my website


• 
  open up my excel sheet for inventory data

Then the process goes like this:

• 
  copy description from eBay or Turbo Lister item


• 
  paste description into the website listing place


• 
  take the thumbnail size picture address of item from Photobucket


• 
  paste it into my website place for that size picture


• 
  take the websize picture address of item from Photobucket


• 
  paste it into my website place for that size picture


• 
  check part number from excel


• 
  use that number for website identifier number


• 
  check price from excel sheet


• 
  use that price in my website

I can improve this operation. I haven't figured out how to use slide shows on my website. Maybe I can't, but I think it is possible...it should be.

I do know that when I have pictures put into the description area of my eBay listing, I can simply copy them over to the website.

If any of you have something to add to this to make the process simpler, I'm here ready to soak it up. I find doing this business in my home isolated from other internet users, I sometimes figure things out the wrong way. LOL

I am also using Turbo Lister to build listings for items that I do not offer on eBay. It gives me the space to do some changing of fonts, colors and to add pictures into the description area. I then copy and paste the listings into my website.

The Funniest Dog Story Ever!

Maggie our Terrier mix and Sadie is using Codie to rest on after their tummies are full and they need a much deserved nap

This is a pretty funny story that was emailed to me. I have a terrier mix dog, so the story was really funny to me. I can imagine my Jack Russell mix doing much the same! Enjoy!

We have a fox terrier by the name of Jasper. He came to us in the summer of 2001 from the fox terrier rescue program. For those of you,who are unfamiliar with this type of adoption, imagine taking in a 10year old child about whom you know nothing and committing to doing your best to be a good parent.

Like a child, the dog came with his own idiosyncrasies. He will only sleep on the bed, on top of the covers, nuzzled as close to my face ashe can get without actually performing a French kiss on me. Lest you think this is a bad case of `no discipline,' I should tell you that Perry and I tried every means to break him of this habiti ncluding locking him in a separate bedroom for several nights. The new door cost over $200.

But I digress.Five weeks ago we began remodeling our house. Although the cost of the project is downright obnoxious, it was 20 years overdue AND it got me out of cooking Thanksgiving for family , extended family, and a lot of friends that I like more than family most of the time. I was assigned the task of preparing 124 of my famous yeast dinner rolls for the two Thanksgiving feasts we did attend.

I am still cursing the electrician for getting the new oven hooked upsoquickly. It was the only appliance in the whole darn house that worked,thus the assignment.I made the decision to cook the rolls on Wed evening to reheat Thurs am. Since the kitchen was freshly painted, you can imagine the odor. Not wanting the rolls to smell like Sherwin Williams #586, I put the rolls on baking sheets and set them in the living room to rise for 5 hours.After 3 hours, Perry and I decided to go out to eat, returning in about an hour. An hour later the rolls were ready to go in the oven.

It was 8:30 PM. When I went to the living room to retrieve the pans,much to my shock one whole pan of 12 rolls was empty. I called out to Jasper and my worst nightmare became a reality. He literally wobbled over to me. He looked like a combination of the Pillsbury dough boy and the Michelin Tire man wrapped up in fur. He groaned when he walked.I swear even his cheeks were bloated.I ran to the phone and called our vet. After a few seconds of uproarious laughter, he told me the dog would probably be OK, however, Ineeded to give him Pepto Bismol every 2 hours for the rest of the night.

God only knows why I thought a dog would like Pepto Bismol any more than my kids did when they were sick. Suffice it to say that by the time we went to bed the dog was black, white and pink. He was so bloated we had to lift him onto the bed for the night.We arose at 7:30 and as we always do first thing; put the dog out to relieve himself. Well, the dog was as drunk as a sailor on his first leave. He was running into walls, falling flat on his butt and most of the time when he was walking his front half was going one direction and the other half was either dragging the grass or headed 90 degrees inanother direction.He couldn't lift his leg to pee, so he would just walk and pee at the same time. When he ran down the small incline in our back yard he couldn't stop himself and nearly ended up running into the fence.His pupils were dilated and he was as dizzy as a loon.

I endured another few seconds of laughter from the vet (second call within 12 hours) before he explained that the yeast had fermented in his belly and that he was indeed drunk.He assured me that, not unlike most binges we humans go through, it would wear off after about 4 or 5 hours and to keep giving him Pepto Bismol.

Afraid to leave him by himself in the house, Perry and I loaded him upand took him with us to my sister's house for the first Thanksgiving meal of the day.My sister lives outside of Muskogee on a ranch, (10 to 15 minute drive).Rolls firmly secured in the trunk (124 less 12) and drunk dog leaning from the back seat onto the console of the car between Perry and I, we took off.

Now I know you probably don't believe that dogs burp, but believe mewhen I say that after eating a tray of risen unbaked yeast rolls, DOGS WILL BURP. These burps were pure Old Charter. They would have matched or beat any smell in a drunk tank at the police station. But that's not the worst of it. Now he was beginning to fart and they smelled like baked rolls. God strike me dead if I am not telling the truth! We endured this for the entire trip to Karen's, thankful she didn't live any further away than she did.Once Jasper was firmly placed in my sister's garage with the door locked, we finally sat down to enjoy our first Thanksgiving meal of the day.

The dog was the topic of conversation all morning long andeveryone made trips to the garage to witness my drunken dog, each returning with a tale of Jasper's latest endeavor to walk without running into something. Of course, as the old adage goes, "what goesinmust come out" and Jasper was no exception.Granted if it had been me that had eaten 12 risen, unbaked yeast rolls,you might as well have put a concrete block up my behind, but alas adog's digestive system is quite different from yours or mine. Idiscovered this was a mixed blessing when we prepared to leave Karen's house. Having discovered his "packages" on the garage floor, we loaded him upin the car so we could hose down the floor.This was another naive decision on our part. The blast of water from the hose hit the poop on the floor and the poop on the floor with stood the blast from the hose. It was like Portland cement beginning to set upand cure.We finally tried to remove it with a shovel. I (obviously no one elsewas going to offer their services) had to get on my hands and knees with a coarse brush to get the remnants off of the floor. And as if thiswasn't degrading enough, the darn dog in his drunken state had walked through the poop and left paw prints all over the garage floor that had to be brushed too.

Well, by this time the dog was sobering up nicely so we took him homeand dropped him off before we left for our second Thanksgiving dinner at Perry's sister's house. I am happy to report that as of today (Monday) the dog is back to normal both in size and temperament. He has had a bath and is no longer tricolor. None the worse for wear I presume. I am also happy toreportthat just this evening I found 2 risen unbaked yeast rolls hiddeni nside my closet door.

It appears he must have come to his senses after eating 10 of them but decided hiding 2 of them for later would not be a bad idea . Now, I'm doing research on the computer as to:"How to clean unbaked dough from the carpet."And how was your day?~Author Unknown~

This reminds of the time I had a dinner party that I served a leg of lamb at. I put the left overs on the counter top while continuing our dinner conversation in the living room. The lamb was completely gone when I went to put it away. We had a guest dog and three of our own and didn't know who to blame. Needless to say, the next day's farts made it clear that our large male lab, Max, was the culprit. I sure loved that dog. He is buried out under the Aspens probably remembering that special day in his life!

Remember to put that food well out of the reach of your pets on Christmas Day! Chocolate can make them sick and sometimes even kill them!

FAST Shipping for Christmas!

It isn't too late to find that perfect gift for a family member or friend. If you order today, I can ship tomorrow, December 21. Priority Mail will get it to you in two to three days! Look our listings over to see if there is something special that you would like to purchase.

We have incredible feedback. See some of our current feedback below:

		Great transaction. Thanks very much!!! A+++	2007-12-18
		fast delivery and smooth transaction	2007-12-16
		Prompt shipping, well packed, super, fantastic, wonderful seller. Thanks you!	2007-12-15
		Great eBayer! Rec'd super fast.	2007-12-14
		I am thrilled ---fast service---great product A+++++++++++	2007-12-13
		WoW! Great Sweatshirt! Fast Shipping! Smooth Transaction! A++++++ebayer!!	2007-12-11
		super fast shipping , good to buy from	2007-12-11
		Terrific ebayer!!! Excellent quality, great communication-top notch! Thx! A+++	2007-12-10
		super fast shipping, beautiful dragonfly thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	2007-12-09
		Excellent transaction. Fast shipping A++++ seller!	2007-12-08
		Wonderful seller! Great communication. Ornament is adorable. Thank you.	2007-12-07
		AAAA++++++	2007-12-07
		Fast service - awesome product! Thanks!	2007-12-06
		WOW! Great seller, fab item, & super fast shipping! Everyone should shop here!!	2007-12-04
		Thank you much for the fast shipping, good communication, & overall great buy!	2007-11-30
		Beyond what I expected!!!!!My Best Purchase on Ebay.....period!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	2007-11-30
		Fast, easy transaction. Thanks !	2007-11-29
		absolutely beautiful huge throw. Thanks	2007-11-21
		Quick delivery. Thank you!	2007-11-12
		quick shipping!	2007-11-05
		Got it. Thank you !	2007-11-05
		Excellent trasaction. Plate was just as decribed. Thanks. A+	2007-11-01
		Excellent ebay transaction. Very nice quality merchandise. Thanks much!!!	2007-11-01
		thanks	2007-10-29
		A+++	2007-10-29
		EXCELLENT TRANSACTION!!!!	2007-10-26
		EXCELLENT TRANSACTION!!!	2007-10-26
		EXCELLENT TRANSACTION!!!	2007-10-26
		AA++++	2007-10-18
		excellent transaction	2007-10-17
		works great fast shipping	2007-10-16
		I acutally want to weed my garden! thanks	2007-10-16
		Excellent seller, quick shipping, safe packing, highly recommend	2007-10-12
		Among the best, would definitely buy from again. Quick, painless transaction	2007-10-12
		As described, thanks.	2007-10-10
		Arrived in great packing today. Will check you out again.	2007-10-06
		item arrived quickly and was exactly as described	2007-10-06
		item arrived quickly and was exactly as described	2007-10-06
		item arrived quickly and was exactly as described	2007-10-06
		love it- fast delivery: thanks	2007-10-02
		The Museum Says Thank You.	2007-09-24
		great item pack well easy transaction an A+++ for e bay	2007-09-24
		just perfect thanks for shipping so fast	2007-09-23
		aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa+++++++++++++++++++

We will be happy to have you as a customer! Happy Holidays and Enjoy Shopping at Winchuck River Store, where we celebrate the lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest!

Soles 4 Souls

Let's Get A New Pair of Shoes For This Person!

I know that most of us have this over whelming urge to rid ourselves of extra belongings right after Christmas. It must be in our DNA to suddenly get the urge to clean the closets, empty the drawers and go through our garage searching for un-used and not needed items. I was a small child when I first found the urge to purge right after Christmas. Is the over abundance of stuff we acquire with Christmas putting us over the top? I think that is probably the logical answer.

I found this wonderful internet site http://www.soles4souls.com/



They have a simple mission: to impact as many lives as possible with the gift of shoes. They are partnering with charities and governments around the world to provide a basic (yet indispensable) gift that most of us take for granted. You can help them in many ways: donating your own shoes, donating cash for freight, hosting a shoe drive, or even donating your time as a volunteer. As shoe industry professionals, they are working hard to use the resources at their disposal to make a difference -- but they need your help (and your shoes) to reach out to the world.

When you are going through your closet, check out the shoes. I bet you have several pair that rival the shoes being worn by many in the world today. Check out the picture that I got in an email this week to spread the word that we must be thankful for what we have instead of always wishing for more and better.

Happy Holidays! I wish you the best for 2008, but I also wish the best for the world in 2008. As a citizen of the world, we can all do one small thing to reach out to make our world a better place. There are many small ways we can help:

• Next time you buy a can of beans, buy one extra and deliver it to the local food bank
• If you sell for a living, set aside a portion of each sale for charity. One penny from each of us could amount to feeding a hungry family.
• Take your elderly neighbor with you the next time you go shopping. It may be the only time they get to go! Remember that you will be old some day sooner than you think!
• That puppy running loose on the road is likely to be killed. Pick it up and deliver it to the local shelter. His owner will find him or he might just find a good home and have a second opportunity for life.
• Join a local toy drive. It isn't too late to buy an extra toy for a hopeful child.
• Visit a nursing home to spread some joy. Older people love company! Company doesn't cost you anything!
• Next time you are planning your future, think about how it will impact the younger generation.
• Plant a tree and feel good because it will give shade to those that come after you.
• Make a new friend with someone that isn't just like you. What a surprise when you find out how much you do have in common with others that you have previously not bothered to know.
• Remember that random acts of kindness can move mountains and maybe even stop wars!
• keep this list going. I'm sure you and your family could add many ideas to this list. Things that would take minutes of our time.

The world cannot get better if we never give it our time and consideration. We are not islands living alone. Everything we do and say impacts those that share our space. Each day is like a page in a book. We all create a page each day. Whatever we do that day should be something we would want to be remembered. I wonder what we would write on our page for each day if we realized that our book would be published for the world to read! Your book will be read. Your immortality can be what you leave behind good or bad. Our lives can be like a meaningful piece of literature that impacts us to remember the contents or it can be like a cheap romance novel that is read and soon forgotten.

Winchuck Carrot Cake Recipe Best of the West

My Carrot Cake Recipe For You

Happy Holidays

Winchuck River Store

http://www.winchuckriverstore.com/

Winchuck Carrot Cake

Serves Approximately 50

This cake never fails to please the crowd

12 eggs
3 1/2 cups vegetable oil
6 cups sugar
6 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups of flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
6 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 teaspoons ground cinnamon

9 cups grated carrots

3 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

3 cups of crushed or pineapple tid bits

Frosting:

1 1/2 cup butter, softened

24 ounces cream cheese, softened

12 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour three 9x13 inch pans or use a large commercial pan.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and vanilla.

Sift together the dry ingredient - when I have chosen not to sift, I find the baking soda doesn't always blend in. There is nothing worse than finding a lump of baking soda!

Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla.

Fold in carrots

Fold in nuts and pour into pans.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes or more then turn out if desired onto a wire rack and cool completely cool. Since I use a very large pan, I bake it a bit longer and if I remove the cake from the pan, it is frosted and cut into pieces. I usually make this recipe for serving a crowd. The crowd loves the cake still in the pan!

I have made a wedding cake from this recipe and removed the cakes from their pans to stack in three graduated layers. I covered the frosting with eatible flowers or you could make your flowers from cake-decorating frosting.

To make frosting:

In a bowl combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Frost the cake and sprinkle chopped nuts on top.

I do not usually make the full recipe for the frosting as I find only about 1/2 of the above ingredients covers the commercial baking pan that I use. My pan measures 13 x 21.5 x 2.5 deep. I am not so careful with measurements. This cake is very forgiving when it comes to pineapple, carrots, nuts and frosting used.

I grate my carrots using a food processor; which makes the process so much easier than a hand grater! No more grated knuckles! For my Christmas in October Open House I used whipped cream cheese for the frosting. It made the frosting go together easier than using the boxed cream cheese.

I have also successfully increased the ingredients to make a larger amount to the commercial pan plus a 18 x 11 x 2.5 deep pan.

To increase the recipe, divide the ingredients by 3 and increase adding 1/3 of the recipe.

I could also see increasing the flour to make a cookie recipe. If any of you try this, let me know how it works out!

This is my Holiday Gift to You!

Enjoy!

Everyone will tell you that this is the best carrot cake they have ever eaten!

Happy Thanksgiving

Good morning on this special Holiday! I am about to go to the kitchen to cook the turkey, but I just had to spin in my computer chair with this special greeting!

Boogalamoon day to you.....my favorite foreign word is turkey in Farzi! I don't know how to spell it, but it is pronounced boog a la moon. We have goble goble...they have a boogalamoon.

Have a wonderful day with your family and friends. We are actually spending the first Thanksgiving ever alone! Can you imagine that? I am making this a day for giving thanks for our health, our safe harbor and the blessings we do have. We will eat our turkey without the crowd we are used to. It will be somewhat sad (well, very sad) but life isn't always fair.

I will have time to work on my filing and possibly take a good long walk in the woods. It is a glorious day here on the Oregon Coast.

eBay Shows Off Shipping Deals To Holiday Shoppers

eBay is changing the way shoppers see the shipping costs for items for sale. The buyers will no longer use the price sort option in search results. The buyers can now see Price + Shipping in most categories. eBay is now organizing search results by the item's price plus the cost of the shipping and handling.

Wow!! It is about time that it will be easier to see the total you are actually going to pay for an item. I think this change will only help those of us sellers who choose to charge actual shipping charges along with minimum handling.

Along with this change eBay is also can search exclusively for items that offer one of three options:

• Free
• Thrifty
• Expedited Shipping

This page will let the shoppers know that eBay has combed eBay to find the best shipping deals so you can focus on shopping not shipping. You can find more about this on http://pages.ebay.com/shippingdeals.

I think it only tells me very loudly to go into my eBay Store to change all shipping to FREE.

Sharing Holiday Gift Ideas

For everyone's convenience, I have decided to start my blogs with my eBay Store. After all, it is fast approaching the holiday season! I can notice the difference in sales recently. Buyers are finding just the right gift for their friends and family.

I am a nut for browsing magazines and books to find new products and things to make. I do this after a day of listing on my website or on eBay. It doesn't take too much brain power because I want to let you know, my brain is dead after a full day of internet work! I often have my doctor's office make a copy of a certain page and I gather old magazines from our local library. I then take the articles and pictures I want. I must take at least 10 publications myself and do the same. Browse, rip, browse, rip and then recycle. Today, I will share some of what I have found hopefully helping you get some gift ideas to purchase or something to make.

• Lauren Bush and the United Nations World Food Program has a really cool feedbag selling for $50.00. It helps feed children in developing countries around the world. You can see a picture and purchase the bag at www.worldfeedbag.org. In the same venue, The American Red Cross has a new line of retro 1930's looking T-shirts. I especially like the one that reads, "Handle With Care". Go to www.redcrossstore.org to see their complete selection of fun and altruistic gift ideas. I found these ideas in Country Home Magazine.

In that same magazine I found some cool junk gift ideas or even for your own home:

• They took three fluted metal pans that sell for about $3.00 each or 25 cents at a yard sale. They took a large nail to punch three holes evenly spaced around the edge of each tin. You then prime the tins, then spray paint with your favorite color. You then attach a small chain with "S" hooks through each hole, squeezing the hooks shut with pliers. Gather the chains at the top with your larger "S" hook and hang from the ceiling. This is great for fruit, veggies or even a collection of grapevine balls, sea shells or another treasure. I can see it spray painted then sponged with a contrasting color to give it an antique look. I'd like to see it just sponged with that liquid that makes your metals look all weathered and green. Why couldn't you even put one by your kitchen desk to hold all those small office what nots that get spread out all over the place?

• Being into rustic, I especially loved their idea of using vintage bisquit cutters (those usually have a green or red wooden handle. You take a jar lid and metal glue it into the cutter. Use these new lids to cover jars of tea or dried spices and even a jar of nuts. I know I have some of those cutters in my bin of cookie cutters that I have collected for the past 40 years! Wow! I sure don't make many bisquits.

• I also ran across a lovely bird house to decor perfect because I have lots of sticks! You buy a birdhouse from a craft store or find one at a garage sale then gather a bunch of sticks. Using a handsaw or pruning sheers, but branches or thick vines no larger than 1 inch in diameter. the legth of each depends on the size of the birdhouse you buy. Attach the twigs using hot glue. Layer and overlap to be creative. Secure twigs with nails so that when you put the bird house outside, the glue won't leave you twigless! Make sure the nails are short enough not to protrude into the bird's house. Take one or a couple of U hooks and nail them to the back of the house and thread a wire through each. You can then attach it to a post or fence. Wouldn't a collection of these be great on your back fence! I'd like them attached to my pump house. This is even a project fine for kids....well be careful with the hot glue!

• Want a really inexpensive project? Take some of those plastic thubtacks that come in multiple colors and then search out your button box. Find the really neat buttons that you no longer know why you saved them and take some Gorilla Glue to the tops of of the thumbtacks, place the button and let dry.

A few years ago, a friend gave me some of these that she created. I remember opening them and being so pleased to get such a nice pretty gift. I use them on a cork bulletin board attached to my desk right here where I am typing. I have sissors hanging from one, my watch from another and a list of birthdays on a small calendar sheet held in place with a lovely crystal button covered thumbtack.

• Did you know that you can take one of your vintage lunch boxes, fill it with sand and then put in some candles? Wouldn't the kids love to create a winter scene in one of these lunch boxes? I think so. I can see white sand looking like snow, or sand covered with artificial snow, red and green candles and some of those small figurines that go with Christmas villages to place for an action filled holiday scene. My children would have had a hill with a sled going down, a little pine tree and maybe even some deer or dogs...a couple of small candles to light and wow! You have Christmas on the table that the children can claim as their own. Kids do love to be an important part in decorating the house!

I promise to go through my treasure box of magazine articles again to share with you some great fun ideas that don't take too much work. I have no time, but I love to create. I imagine most of us suffer from the same problem of no time!

Don't forget to check out my husband's electric fishing kayak. I know, it takes time to build a kayak, but it is fun to see and just maybe it would fill a need for just that perfect gift. www.jimskayak.com . You can buy the plans, the kits, or a finished kayak.

Trying New Ways to Introduce Rustic Decor!

eBay has come up with some innovative ways to let us give viewers an opportunity to see our store that might not otherwise find it. I have now posted all the contents right here on this blog for all to see.

I am excited about this Christmas selling season as I have already put into action a Christmas in October Open House in conjunction with 3 other business women in my area. We are giving a percentage of our sales to "His Haven of Hope"; which is a program for homeless women and children here in Brookings, OR. Along with giving some money to them, we have also given out a list of needed items that we are providing a barrel to fill so that we can provide some of their basic needs like toliet paper, canned veggies and coffee.

I have also been busy listing on eBay being careful to fill that catagory: Holiday Gifts! I am still concentrating on high quality rustic decor that celebrates our lifestyle here on the Southern Oregon Coast.

I have also recently joined our local Chamber of Commerce and will soon have a link to their website. We are forming a committee within the Chamber for website owners in our area for the express purpose of letting everyone know we are here and eager to do business with the local community. We have already purchased the domain name, lookwhosonline.com that the Chamber will let us use. We needed to join with an existing non-profit group so that we would not have to run this group on our own. We have four founding members. We all have websites with no time to collect money, run advertising campaigns and counsel people on how to do their business. This will be a self help committee within the Chamber so that we can all meet together speaking our particular form of "English"; which others cannot understand and hopefully grow our individual businesses.

I am back teach eBay Basics at the local Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOC) here in Brookings. This is always fun for me. I swear, I learn more each class than do my students!

I hope you enjoy visiting my store with this new link! If you have any comments, please leave them. I'd love to get some feedback...good or bad!

Karen

I have become a Computer Geek!

This the front of the postcard I made for Kingfisher Electric Boats. The fisherman is Bob, Jim's twin that lives in Mt. Home, Arkansas. He fishes Bull Shoals Lake near his home. He came for a visit and of course the twins had to get on the water together. One of their earliest pictures is of the two all dressed up holding a fishing pole.

I managed to create a web page for Jim's Kingfisher Electric Boats business! I struggled for days, but finally got it up and running. I used the brains of my smartest friends to improve my beginning efforts. Thank you John, Jude and Jeff for your time and thoughtful comments! You can find Jude at http://www.gpsspecials.com/ . She has been in the internet business for about 15 years and can rattle off ideas and suggestions like water off a ducks back! Jude is amazing!!!

The link to the website is: http://www.kingfisherelectricboats.com/. I also bought a site, http://www.jimskayak.com/ so that us with limited memory might be able to find the site. So far that link isn't finding the site unless you go up at the top and put in http://www.jimskayak.com/. Hopefully enough of us will be using the shortcut to get it to come up in your Google browser or whatever you use. I think maybe I should get the URL name, kayakguy.com if it is available.

We have nearly 100 hits that I can see so far. That is good. Jim is getting nervous about getting so many orders that he will be a full-time boat builder without a life outside of the shop! Jim and his daughter, Lynnette, are going up to the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, WA for Sept 7-9. We should get some great exposure up at the festival. I got them both a t-shirt advertising the business along with new business cards, magnets and even some postcards.

I now have to find matching PFD's with pockets that will hold all the literature! I have become the computer geek, advertising manager and now fashion coordinator for the new company. Sometimes, I have to have a glass of wine to turn myself into a regular human being so I can watch some TV and stop thinking...thinking.....and thinking more. Now I know why those software guys walked around looking less than normal back in the days that I used to work at one of those corporate jobs.

So now we are a two website family. Retirement has turned out to be much more involved than I ever imagined. I remember when I thought I would do wiz bang craft projects. When was that???

I sure would like to get feedback from all of you, so lay it on. I really benefit from hearing the thoughts of others.

1. Tell me what you think of the site
2. what you think of the kayak
3. what ever else you think.

I've used every key word I can think of and what the computer programs tell me like: electric fishing kayak, wooden kayak kits, wood kayak plans, fishing kayak and the list goes on. Do you have any key words that you think I should be using?

And, if you are struggling to create a website, I might be able to help.....a bit. I am far from a wiz kid, but I will share what I know or think I know. LOL It would be a volunteer job and you can't fire a volunteer!

I'll be back later with maybe

• help picking the right dog for the family
• what to do with 500 lbs of tuna
• maybe how to can apples

Jim and Lynnette brought home about 500 lbs of tuna from the sea, we do have the four dogs which makes me a mini expert and the apple and peach trees are full of ripening fruit. Later...

Summer is in Full Swing on America's Wild Rivers Coast

I'm afraid that summer has not given us much free time up the Winchuck River here on the Southern Coast of Oregon on America's Wild Rivers Coast.

• June started off with flying off to Boston, MA to meet up with 5 high school friends. We graduated in 1959 from Southport High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. We still wear the same size shoes, but we now come in various sizes! We had fun lurking about historical Boston, being asked to shut down our party on the hotel patio and being wizzed about by Boston cab drivers, who challenge any NY City cabbies on nerve and gusto. We ate lobster, took the Boston Bay Cruise and only really shopped a couple of days in the malls near our hotel. I still can't believe that we shopped so little. It's not like us! The white jacket I have on with my oran ge shirt was a deal I found one of those days.



• I stayed an extra week to attend the eBay Live Convention. I could write (and probably will) a blog just on the convention. I learned so much that I don't think I have decompressed yet from brain overload. It was a great time and I got to meet my friend Cindy from NY who I met on line through eBay. I have also included a picture of us with our orange T-shirts from Skiddoo. I am in the middle and to the right is Cindy. Cindy has an eBay store, The-Image-Builder. She will put any image you want on mouse pads, T-shirts, coasters, plates etc. She is has been asked to attend the Red Hat Society Convention being held back east in September. We saw our picture up on the LARGE screen in training sessions! By wearing them, we could have won $5,000 worth of advertising. Needless to say, we didn't win!



• We have been spending most weekends promoting our Kingfisher Electric Boats business down at our local Masqnerade Market Place located at the Port of Brookings/Harbor. Jim has lots of interest in his kayak. You can see it yourself on our website: http://www.winchuckriverstore.com/categories.php?cat=18&PHPSESSID=3ec53367f2199ddde5a81744c41ac6b9 .

• Jim made a video with Lynnette showing how the Kingfisher Electric Kayak works. You can see it at Electric Hands-Free Fishing Kayak Video.



• Company has been non-stop



• Salmon season is here and we must catch salmon!



• Tuna arrived a mere 19 miles off the coast due to warm waters and we must catch Tuna!



• Tuna must be canned for our larder. We have processed over 5 dozen pint jars and 2.5 dozen 1/2 pints. Lynnette, Jim's daughter, has not only caught most of the tuna; she is instumental in getting it canned. We make a great tuna-canning team. She cuts and I stuff the jars. Lynnette is also taller than I am, so she can man handle the pressure cookers. I need to stand on a stool to have the needed leverage. This tuna is hard work! Jim and Lynnette are now champion tuna cleaners. Tuna is very difficult to clean. The first few were pretty hacked up, but yesterday's canning had very clean nice pieces to work with. We have two pressure cookers going at a time. It gives us the ability to process 28 half pints at a time. I am now forced to clean out my pantry just to make room for all the treasures from the sea!



• The orchard on the Winchuck River has started to ripen. We have had a great crop of blueberries and now the plums and peaches need to be frozen, jellied and made into chutney! I go out to pick blueberries and find myself surprising the robins. I should wear a bell so that I don't startle them from their feast. We have hundreds of birds zooming in and out among the fruit trees and bushes and I put feeders on the front deck for my mom to watch. Bumper crops bring the birds. They are sure happy!



• I have been busy creating a new webpage for the Kingfisher Electric Boat business along with getting ready to attend the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, WA. I had T-shirts designed to wear, new business cards, flyers and I managed to remember to pay our entry fees! I think I will stay home to take care of business, feed the dogs and keep my mom company. Anyway, Lynnette looks better in a t-shirt! Lynnette also has a daughter living in Seattle, so they will be able to meet up. I bet they have a great time at the boat festival!



• And, the web and eBay business is still chugging along. We had visitors from Southern California show up to meet with Elmo Williams; who is a client of mine. They were wonderful guys and they purchased lots of Elmo's wonderful movie memorabilia. You can read about Elmo on our webpage: http://www.winchuckriverstore.com/ . Elmo had a 53-year career working in the entertainment business. Some of you might remember "High Noon", "The Longest Day" and the "Vikings"; which are only a few of the movies that he worked on. Elmo is now 94 years old. I have included a picture of him that I took recently at a party with our hosts Vi and Len Burton of Burtonique Art. Vi is a photographer and Len a fine artist. If you look to my past blogs, you can find information about Elmo that I have written.

Who said that life was relaxing when you reach your senior years? The Clark family is working harder than we ever have. The difference is that now we are working for ourselves and find hard work very rewarding. I am worn out just writing this blog! Thank God that it is raining today so I don't need to go promote the kayak! I need a break. Maybe I will pull out all of last year's salmon in the freezer and can it so it keeps better! LOL

Keep visiting to see what I might say next. You can never tell.

America's Wild Rivers Coast in the Spring

woodchip areas and our aspen grove pictured above

Ah! I love spring here on the Southern Coast of Oregon. Our Rhodies are blooming, the daffadils are dying back and being replaced with budding daylilies. I find myself taking a break from the task of weeding lying under the budding Aspen trees feeling graditude for being so lucky to live in this paradise!

I notice in the picture above that the tree in the forground has Comfry growing under it. I saw a picture of Comfry growing under an apple tree and stuck a small plug of Comfry under that Aspen. I hadn't realized just how happy it has become living in the small confines of the tree base.

I am a hodge podge gardener putting plants here and there and continually find a surprise of a happy plant in places I don't remember putting it. A Clematis that I didn't know where to plant has taken over one side of an old tree trunk. The other side is covered with a Climbing Hydranga. This same trunk has a Huckleberry bush thriving on top of it!

I don't plan very much when creating my piece of paradise and the beauty that happens is just there almost accidentally. I don't find myself upset when a dog sits on a plant, or a slug finds a feast in the daylilies. My accidental garden is created to grow if it can! Somehow, this has worked for me. I have request to have garden tours and comments are always made about how beautiful our garden is, but I don't take too much pride in what I have managed to do. Nature works well with some food and water plants thrive....just like us! I give the plants a place to live and if they love it, they reward me. You can find more pictures of our garden on our eBay Store site : View My About Me page.

Spring gardening can create muddy feet. Muddy feet love to find their way into the house and then we are stuck cleaning up the house instead of the yard! I hate being stuck inside when the sun is warm and the grass emerald green!

I've read that you can put a a few layers of newspaper down just inside your door. The mud stays there! The newspapers save your throw rugs from a dingy lifeless life from too much yuck and too many washings.

You can then recycle the paper by layering it outside where you want to create a new garden bed or path. I put 12 layers of paper down with 4 inches of wood chips and like magic you have a new bed in about a year or an immediate pathway. I love the softness of woodchip paths. It is like meandering in the forest. My dogs love their morning walk around the yard exploring the paths. If there are paths, that's where they will walk. Sometimes I create a path where I see them often going. It's better than walking on a new lily peeking up. My husband doesn't mind woodchip paths that don't block his manly riding mower when he is cutting the grass. He hates barriers that he hits. Wood chips blend in, look natural and they compost into wonderful places for earthworms to live.

Living in the Pacific Nortwest, we get as many woodchips as we need. The road crews are busy removing "leaners" (trees in danger of falling onto the road) from the hillsides along the road. The crews love a near-by place to dump their loads. My husband has figured out that one truck of chips is 100 wheel borrows of chips. I wonder how he figures that out! LOL I could safely estimate that Jim has hauled well over 400-500 loads of chips over the last 10 years and I have done my fair share crawling along putting down newspaper. When we moved in, the yard consisted of grass and a few fruit trees period. We now have a 50' x 25' pond along with hundreds of plants, trees along with many chipped areas. The grass could completely find a new home and I wouldn't care, but Jim loves to mow! We still have expanses of green grass.

Come back again to see what is new with Winchuck River Store and the couple who own it, Jim and Karen Clark.

Making our Homes Green As Can Be

Improving our homes making them truly our's is always an interesting subject. It is also important to consider our world by going as green as can be. Next time you make a home-improvement, think about your grandchildren and the world that they will be living in. Make your choices based on their future lives. Above, is the river across the road and our "curb appeal" front entrance that hopefully says "Welcome"

Klamath Falls, Ore./April 3, 2007/ — Homeowners are turning their attention toward improving overall energy efficiency and boosting their homes' curb appeal, according to a recent home improvement study commissioned by Jeld-Wen, a leading manufacturer of windows and doors.

The new "Perfect Home Survey" is an inside look at current homeowner attitudes toward their houses, remodeling activity, and windows and doors. Independent research firm Knowledge Wave International conducted the nationwide online study.

Managing energy costs is going to be a priority for homeowners, especially those with older homes. The survey found that nearly a quarter of respondents have windows (22.6 percent) and doors (23.6 percent) that are drafty and inefficient. Using the same percentages, roughly 13 million single-family homes in the United States are wasting energy resources. We were so excited when Home Depot finally came close to us. It used to be 100 miles away and now we have one in Crescent City, CA; which is only 25 miles from us. We plan to buy our windows a few at a time. My husband can do anything when he sees the vision (it's my job to put the vision in front of him). By next year, we should have the front windows replaced in our 1970's ranch.

Now to get him to see the vision of river rock facing on the fireplace, maybe along the front deck and ........ my mind is racing faster than he can keep up with!

That's no surprise, according to Rod Clark, a product marketing manager at Jeld-Wen, due to the fact that the average age of U.S. homes is 32 years old.

"Energy efficiency is going to be a big topic in 2007 as fuel costs continue to rise and homes continue to get older," said Clark. "Our survey shows that many homes would benefit from energy efficient windows and doors, which can save homeowners hundreds of dollars per year. Energy-efficiency technology has also come a long way since the 1970s."

According to the survey, it's likely that many homeowners will take action in 2007 to enhance the energy efficiency of their homes and take advantage of a federal tax credit for installing energy-efficient products, which expires at the end of the year. Fifty percent of respondents are aware of the tax credit, and 43.1 percent will either definitely or probably undertake projects to take advantage of the tax break before it ends. We should all take advantage of a tax credit! My son in Napa, CA, is replacing all of his windows and saved because California's tax credit for doing this. I think he said he is saving two thousand dollars! His feeling is that he cannot not do it. His home was built in the early 1980's.

Overall, 13 percent plan on upgrading windows and exterior doors in the next 12 months.
Wanted: curb appeal The survey also gauges other attitudes related to windows and doors. The study found that curb appeal is a hot topic among homeowners, and that they recognize the role that doors play in enhancing exterior appearance. More than 87 percent feel a new front door definitely or probably adds value to overall curb appeal, while slightly more than 70 percent say the same about garage doors.

Jeld-Wen discovered in the survey that most homeowners inherited their front door along with the house, and a majority says their current door does not reflect their personal style. When asked if they selected their front doors, an overwhelming 65 percent said they had not, and 58 percent said they would have chosen something different.

I found that simply giving our front door a new and interesting color did the trick. Our door went from the original white to a deep forest green that matched the new metal roof that we put on. Our home suddenly went from the 1970's ranch to the house that fits in better with the lodge, cabin woodsey look that we love.

"Owners want to be proud of how their homes look, and the survey clearly shows that front doors are a matter of personal taste," said Shane Meisel, product marketing manager at Jeld-Wen. "This finding is a great opportunity for builders and remodelers to reach out to homeowners and offer an upgraded front door that better reflects the buyer's personal style."
Other notable findings from the "Perfect Home Survey" include:

Rise of the ranch.Given a choice between eight architectural styles, 26.2 percent of respondents said ranch was the type of home in which they would most like to live. Contemporary (20 percent) was the second most popular style. Other choices, ranked in order, were Old World Mediterranean, craftsman, cottage, colonial and Victorian. Tudor was the least popular design.
Garage as most common entrance. When asked to identify which exterior door they use the most when entering the home, the garage door was the number one answer among both men (42 percent) and women (41 percent). The front door was close behind as the second-most -used entrance.

I am looking forward to improving our garage door. They do stick out for the world to see. We currently have the original very ugly fiberglass door that allows light to come in, but adds nothing to the look of the house! I can see a panel door with windows in that beautiful green of our front doors. (we have two)

Happy at home.The flurry of real estate activity driven by a hot market in the past couple of years seems to have helped homeowners land their dream homes and locations. The survey found that 79 percent of respondents currently love both their neighborhood and their house.
Making noise about noise. Noise is the number one neighborhood complaint in U.S. cities, according to the U.S. Census. The survey supports this finding as 49 percent of respondents say their home is not quiet and would benefit from sound-reducing products, including doors and windows.

If it isn't quiet enough where you live, consider the Southern Coast of Oregon! We have quiet. I lived in San Jose, CA for many years. I made my home a retreat even though it was on a busy street. English Gardens surrounded the home and somehow those gardens made the home appear to be quiet, welcoming and hidden away from the reality of where I lived. I had a green front door that confirmed that we lived in a garden, not a city.

Remodeling in 2007 While 51 percent of respondents have no plans to remodel in the next 12 months, 45 percent say they are going to change elements in their home within the same time frame. I find that small remodeling works for us. It makes me feel that forward motion of making my home belong to me. I want to reflect my love of the Pacific Northwest. A simple addition of a trellis just in the right place or a coat of paint to make the outside shed become a cabin, instead of the shed it really is, works!

The survey results also revealed a few interesting disparities between men and women when it comes to remodeling. Both genders agree that the kitchen is the one room they want to change the most; however men are almost three times as likely to want to remodel a child's room, while more women single out the master bedroom and small closets as top remodeling priorities. In addition, more than twice as many men as women say they are planning to change the garage door in the next 12 months. Yae! That makes me want to change it more!

AeroGarden Easy Indoor Growing W/ No Mess & No Fuss

AeroGarden

Aeroponic Gardening System

Questions??

1-877-572-6451

We have just been introduced to the AeroGarden Kit. This is truly an amazing way to grow your herbs and vegetables in your home all year long without worrying about sunlight and the weather.

The Aerogarden kit includes:

The AeroGarden measuring

Base 6" x 16"
Hood 10.5" x 19"
Height 15.5" to 21"

One Salad Green Seed Kit which includes

Pre-seeded bio-dome seed pods
time-release nutrients
How to take care of and how to harvest guide
Recipes for your home-grown vegetables

Built-in Plant Lighting System

The AeroGarden makes it possible to grown anywhere in your home
The AeroGarden makes it possible to grow anytime of the year.
The AeroGarden emits full daylight spectrum light that is energy efficient without natural sunlight.

Smart AeroGarden Technology

The AeroGarden has a self-contained reminder system in the control panel.

Automatic reminders that alert you to with no needed setup:

• fertilize the plants



• turns off and on the lights automatically



• Seed System that is "Plug 'n Grow" Bio Dome ready for the AeroGarden



• Drop in the seed to simply watch it grow
  You are automatically reminded to water or fertilize the seeds



• Germination is 100 per cent guaranteed.



• The pre-seeded grow pods are in their own miniature greenhouse



• Very fast seed germination.....sometimes as fast as 24 hours!

The AeroGarden Chamber

• Provides a rainforest growing environment



• Plant roots are suspended in air in the 100 per cent humidity



• The plant roots are provided with ideal levels of nutrients and water
  
  Salad Greens Seed Kit or the Gourmet Herb Kit will come with your AeroGarden. You can harvest in three weeks and harvest 4-10 salads per week for up to 2 months. Herb seed kits grow seven varieties of fresh herbs that begin harvest in five weeks.

Questions Often Asked:

What is Aeroponics?

Aeroponics is a dirt-free growing method where plant roots are suspended in air within a 100% humidity, highly oxygenated growing chamber. Because the roots are bathed with ideal levels of nutrients, water and oxygen, plants grow significantly faster, are healthier and have a higher nutrient content than plants grown in soil.

How Big is the AeroGarden?

The AeroGarden has the footprint of a breadbox and is sized to fit conveniently under most cabinets. The AeroGarden measures 16" long by 10.5" wide by 15.5" high when it is first set up with the lights at the lowest possible setting and 21" high at the highest level when the plants are getting taller.

Are the nutrient tablets organic?

The AeroGarden nutrient tablets are organic, according to current AAPFCO (American Association of Plant Food Control Officials) standards.

Can I mix seed Kits?

Yes, the seed kits can mixed, but it is recommended that you only do this after gaining experience in gardening. This is recommended because:

Plants grow at different rates and have different leaf sizes, some faster growing plants in mixed kits could over-shadow and block the light from slower growing plants. Experienced gardeners will know how to avoid this.

Our nutrients have been specially designed for the group of plants in each kit. If you mix the kits, the plants could be under or over fed.

Your AeroGarden comes with pre-set light cycles according to kit type. If you mix kits, you could be not optimizing your plant's growth by giving it too much or too little light.

When will new Seed Kits be available?

We will be introducing new Seed Kits on a regular basis. We just added strawberries in February.

Current Seed Kits Are:

Italian Herb
French Herb
Japanese Herb
Cascading Petunias
International Basil
Gourmet Herb
Salad Green
Cherry Tomato
Chili Peppers

Seeds coming soon:

The Salad Bar Series:
Romaine
Arugula
Baby Greens
Mesclun Mix
The Strawberry Patch ™
7 Sweet Rubies Strawberry plants

The Master Gardener Seed Kit. The Master Gardener Delux has everything needed for a full year of growing except your favorite plant seeds. Specifically designed reusable split-apart baskets allow easy transplanting into soil make your AeroGarden an excellent seed starter for your outdoor garden. Included a year suppoly seed pods, nutrients and an easy step-by-step planting and growing guide.

Green Beans
Spinach
Baby Bell Peppers
Mini Eggplant
Wildflowers and more

How much energy does the AeroGarden use?

The AeroGarden system has been designed for maximum efficiency. The entire system uses less energy than a single 60-watt light bulb.

What kind of light bulbs does the unit use?

The AeroGarden uses full-spectrum compact fluorescent bulbs exclusively designed for the optimal amount and type of light needed for robust, healthy plant growth.

How Long will my plants Live?

Cherry tomatoes and Chili Peppers will grow for 6-7 months and you will be able to start harvesting in about 10-12 weeks. That gives you approximately 4 months of continuous harvests.

Salad Greens will grow for 4-5 months and you can begin harvesting after only 3 weeks. This gives you about 3-4 month of continuous harvests.

Gourmet Herbs, International Basil, International Gourmet series (French, Italian and Japanese) and Cascading Petunias also grow for 4-5 months. You can start harvesting your herbs and basil in about 4 weeks, giving you 3-4 months of continuous harvests.

How much time do I have to spend taking care of my AeroGarden?

Although all of our seed kits are very easy to take care of, some require more interaction than others when it comes to tending and harvesting. See the guide below:

Salad Greens-5 minutes per month
Herbs & Petunias-2 minutes per week
Tomatoes & Chile Peppers-5 minutes per week

How long can the AeroGarden be left unattended? What if I travel a lot?

A newly planted AeroGarden can be left unattended for up to 2 weeks. Some mature gardens may need to be watered as often as twice a week. Larger more mature gardens may need water more frequently.

When can I begin to harvest?

It depends on which seed kit you have. You can begin harvesting lettuces and basils 3 weeks after planting your garden and then enjoy continuous harvest for months. Other herbs will take about 5 weeks to be ready to begin harvesting. Fruiting plants will take longer to harvest about 10-12 weeks for cherry tomatoes and chili peppers.