It’s the beginning of the new year and time for many of us to get serious about our new year’s resolutions. Now we might not stick with all of them, but if we can manage to kick some of our bad habits and set some realistic new goals for ourselves, we’ll certainly be in much better shape by the end of the year. A lot of the fitness centers are advertising special rates and packages and the shopping ads are filled with sales on exercise clothing and equipment. Then there are the many articles on diets and low-fat cooking. Of course, healthy eating and healthy cooking is always a good idea anytime of year. If you love fresh veggies cooked to perfection, then you’ll enjoy using this Romertopf Clay Vegetable Baker. (more…)

If you want to add an interesting and different type of indoor bonsai tree to your collection, take a look at the Madagascar Tree. This tree goes by a number of different names, including the Elephant Tree, the Jabily, or the operculicarya decaryi. It looks similar to a cashew—in fact, the two trees are relatives—but it doesn’t grow nearly as tall. For a bonsai, it has a very thick trunk, something few other bonsai trees feature. The bonsai features dark, shiny, and very fine, small leaves. For a bonsai, the Madagascar tree gets quite large—three foot or so. (more…)