1. We share common shopping weaknesses. As Lee confesses, she buys too many: “Cookbooks and kitchen gadgets. We just moved from MI to PA and the move and putting all that stuff in boxes put me on a cookbook-buying vacation for a while….But we eat wonderfully!!!!” What’s the thing you buy too many of? Tell us here!

2. With orchid care, sometimes less is more. As new reader Georgie says: “I have never heard before the theory of different temperature at night/day etc. But I like the ‘neglect’ school of thought! Less watering, less worrying, and see what happens. I put so much effort in at the beginning, to no avail, so I’m going to let them be a bit more independent now and see what happens. Fingers crossed!” Click here for our oldie but goodie post Help! how can i make my orchid grow?.

3. Mary T isn’t the only one looking to do something productive with doggie poop. Dana wrote: My husband discovered something similar in a store a couple years back, but decided he didn’t want to pay that kind of money. He took a half a plastic barrel we had lying around and buried it in the far back corner of our yard. The doggie waste has been going in ever since, helped along with something similar to the septic starter you show. Et voila, no more doggie doo doo in the dump.” Click here to read about a dog poop composter.

4. We love it when you tell us what to buy. Amamy suggests a Garnet Hill rug for Angela M.’s room: … “It’s very cozy but not too “country,” and has a timeless quality that large graphic rugs might not. And the round shape (which someone else suggested) is perfect in our setup, which is much like yours. We have the lighter, oatmeal heather, and it’s surprisingly great for not showing dirt, so I’d think the gray heather would be even better. Can you tell I love our rug?! All three color choices include a good amount of red, which would tie in to your amazing chairs, but would add in a couple interesting colors so as to avoid looking too matchy.” (Thanks Amany!). See more amazing rug suggestions here.

5. With a little egg tossed in, pasta leftovers make yummy breakfasts. Doug says of this technique: “that’s a favorite of mine, the spaghetti omelet. I think this particular breakfast treat was created by my mother-in-law, who passed it down to my wife, who passed it down to my waist line. I know the combo sounds strange, and I was skeptical at first also, but one bite and I was hooked. And so too are my two young sons. So now whenever we make pasta for diner, we always make enough for leftovers – more specifically that weekend’s breakfast!” Click here for an easy breakfast recipe.