Fall is a good time to spend with your family in your yard.  It’s also the perfect time of year to prep our living landscape for another favorite season—spring. 

Here’s what you need to do now to have a fabulous and TurfMutt-approved family yard this fall and beyond.

Mulch Leaves: Mulching your leaves rather than raking and bagging is good for your lawn and the environment. As shredded leaves decompose, they feed your lawn, naturally.
Aerate the Family Lawn: Aerating prevents soil from becoming compacted and covered with thatch – a thick layer of roots, stems, and debris that blocks water, oxygen, and nutrients from reaching the soil.
Mow at the Right Height: Keep cutting your grass until the first hard frost. Find the just-right length for your species, typically between 2-3 inches, to keep your grass healthy when it turns cold. 
Water Wisely: If you’re not getting at least an inch of water a week from Mother Nature, you’ll want to keep watering through the fall. Install watering solutions, such as smart controllers on irrigation systems, to help conserve water.

Getting back to a regular cooking schedule is almost upon us with back to school just around the corner. This recipe landed in my mailbox this week and I thought it would be perfect to share, just as we are starting to think about our cooking meal rotation! Bon Appetit.

Adapted from Command Cooking

Garlic Butter Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 4 pork loin chops

• kosher salt, to taste

• ground black pepper, to taste

• 1/2 cup butter, melted

• 1 tablespoon rosemary, minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper.

Mix together the butter, rosemary, and garlic in a bowl.

Add the oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium heat

Set the pork chops in the skillet with the hot oil.

Cook the pork for 4 minutes on each side.

Place the skillet in the oven, and cook until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, about 10-12 minutes

Serve with garlic butter.

For years we have seen the posters and listened to the PSAs, we’ve seen the literature on smoking and what it does. We know that cigarette smoking is not good for the human body, and the cigarette packets that we buy tell us so. It should feel comforting then, if you are planning to quit, that vaping devices have hit the market and they’ve hit the market hard. The problem is that most people still struggle to understand how smoking and vaping are very different. 

They worry that vaping won’t give them the same feeling, and they worry whether they should choose to vape instead of smoke. They also worry that if they’re trying to quit smoking, is it really going to work if they’re just switching from one thing to the other. It can help to understand all of the facts before you get started, especially if you plan to buy your own vaping equipment from the vaping fluids to the CCELL TH205-RYS. If you are looking at starting vaping rather than cigarette smoking or smoking cigars, then you need to have a look at the list of things to know about it below.

Image source: Pexels

• Vaping is better for your health. One of the key ingredients of cigarettes is tar. It is a combination of various combustion by products and these products are known to have carcinogenic properties. When you are smoking and breathing in the cigarette smoke, the harmful components can affect many of your organs that the cigarette smoke comes into contact with. Mouth cancer, throat cancer, lung cancer and even cancer of the stomach and the other organs are all very prevalent with cigarette smokers. It’s why smoking is always associated with various health diseases. From chronic coughs to heart disease, difficulties with fertility and even cancer, smoking can very much ruin your health. Vaping takes those combustion by products out of the equation. The only inhalation you do is for clean vapor, and this contains the stimulant that you are looking for. Of course, we can’t say that’s completely healthy given it can still have an impact on your lungs, but we can say that vaping is significantly safer than cigarette smoking.
• There is no lingering smell. It’s one of the biggest reasons people choose to quit smoking; The scent of cigarette smoke is in everything. Their walls and ceilings are yellow because of the effects of the smoke, their sofas, carpet and curtains all stink of cigarette smoke. The smoke can permeate most fabrics and even be embedded in the walls, so with smoking you have to constantly chew or wash your hands to tone down the bad smell that clings to your own body. Your house and your clothing can’t hide the fact that you are a smoker even when you wear a smoking jacket and even if you wear gloves. Vaping cigars don’t actually leave that same unpleasant smell. If you use a scented or a flavorful fluid on the inside of the vaping device, you will find that most of you will actually enjoy the smell after you have finished vaping.
• It’s not so bad for your appearance. If you worry about the colour of your teeth or your hands, then vaping is probably better for you than it is cigarette smoking. You don’t have to worry about eye bags being the result, dry eyes or irritation or stretch marks, like smoking does. Smoking cigarettes also makes you look older, because your mouth develops more fine lines much earlier than any other part of your face. I also find that you don’t have anybody wrinkling their face at you because you no longer smell like a cigarette factory!

Image source: Pexels

• It’s better for other people. One of the biggest reasons that we no longer are allowed to smoke in restaurants, indoor spaces, bus stops or any other public place that involves crowded areas, is because of the effect it has on other people. You are more than welcome to smoke inside or outside your own home, or in a designated smoking space, but this is because it no longer affects anybody else unless they choose to be in that area. With vaping, you don’t have to worry about impacting anybody else. You’re not having to worry that said secondhand or thirdhand smoke is going to impede anybody else’s health, and you limit the chances of harmful smoke filling the environment. If you want to stop everybody around you from passive smoking, then vaping is the better switch.
• Vaping can actually help you to quit smoking. You may think you are transferring one addiction for the other, but actually the action of holding a cigarette is the same when you are vaping. That means that instead of reaching for the killing thing, you are reaching for something that a) tastes nice and b) isn’t going to impact your health as much. If you are looking to quit smoking, congratulations, and you can reduce the amount of nicotine you consume by beginning vaping. Overtime, you will be able to enjoy the E juices without any nicotine in them, effectively weaning yourself off of the thing you are addicted to in the first place.
• It’s so much cheaper. You may have noticed the cost of living has gone up, which means that taxable items like cigarettes and alcohol have also gone through the roof. The main expenditure when you vape will be on the device itself, and that can last you for a long time. A good vape can cost quite a bit of money, but it will last, and all your spend after that is on e liquids and some other accessories that you might want.

You may not have considered vaping an option until now, but now all you need to do is go shopping for the accessories, the device and any of the tasty eliquids you would like to try. You can get vaping liquid in plenty of flavors, from candy floss to strawberry and back again to mint. no matter what you do, make sure that you are doing your research before you get started.

Finding wedding guest dresses that can impress other guests attending the big event can be difficult. If you’re not afraid to up the game on your wedding guest dresses, you might be able to stand out and really show off your unique and gorgeous style with ease.

Are there ways to find sustainable wedding guest dresses? Would it be worth it to show off with a pair of statement shoes? And how else might you be able to grab a little extra attention at the next wedding you’re attending? If you need a little assistance, allow me to point you in the right direction with a few useful tips and tricks.

Find Sustainable Wedding Guest Dresses

If you want to make sure you don’t look like anyone else at the wedding, then don’t go to the same stores where everyone else is already shopping. Instead, try to find stores that make sustainability a priority and allow you to invest in pieces you’ll truly love.

Finding sustainable wedding guest dresses doesn’t have to be difficult, especially if you try looking in the right places. Some stores and online retailers put sustainability into their mission statement, meaning stores like Reformation are fantastic if you want to find dresses that are specially made and long-lasting. While you might expect to pay a little more at these locations, this is because you’re paying for improved quality that’s expected to last far longer than other clothing options. This will also encourage you to only select items you’ll really love wearing for a long time.

Alternatively, you can also go shopping in thrift stores. If you want to make this a bit more of a socially involved event, you certainly can. This is because going thrifting with your friends allows you to conduct a more thorough search of the entire establishment, get opinions on one another’s outfits, and share excitement about the fun styles and good deals. Going to a thrift store is a great way to ensure you’re not going to wear something that can be easily found off the rack in the mall, making it look more one-of-a-kind and unique.

Look Into Getting Statement Shoes

While you think everyone might only be interested in your wedding guest dresses, it might be fun to look into letting another part of your outfit shine. Here, I’m talking about picking out shoes that are the centerpiece of your outfit at the wedding. Instead of picking the boring block heels in black or nude, it may not be a bad idea to find other footwear that takes on a bit more of the limelight.

While many people do not necessarily find this practical, it is possible for you to do this without ever wearing the shoes again. You can also find these shoes for pretty reasonable prices by going to online resellers or thrift stores with pretty good shoe selections. What might this look like for you?

Many people have been told to find shoes that work well with multiple outfits in their closets, and this often requires us to get footwear in neutral colors that are commonly thought to go with almost every color. And while this might be what your closet looks like, I’ll bet there are a few colors that are a bit more prominent than others. If you have a lot of purple in your wardrobe, try finding purple shoes you can wear with a lot of the items in your closet, for example.

Additionally, you can also find shoes that are in different shapes and have a non-traditional silhouette to them. Maybe this means, instead of finding block heels or stilettos, you find platform shoes, chunky boots, or other footwear that has fun accessories. What might these accessories be? Consider sequins, rhinestones, sparkles, spikes, tassels, feathers, velvet… almost anything you have the ability to imagine. Even if you get one of these in a neutral color, you’re sure to stand out whenever you wear them.

Focus on Your Makeup

If you don’t have the budget to get an all-new wardrobe for the wedding you’re attending, that’s okay! You can focus on the other aspects of your look instead. For example, you can choose to focus on your makeup look and have this be the eye-catching part of your outfit. Play with fun colors, add some sparkles, and go a little “extra” with your eyelashes. The point is not to be too traditional in your looks and really just allow a part of your look to stand out in the crowd.

Don’t Forget to Accessorize

If you’re really trying to stand out, try not to forget about your accessories. What do I mean by this? Many wedding guests forget to add accessories to their wedding guest outfits, so adding a couple of necklaces or bracelets to your look just might make you look extremely well put together. You can do the same by picking out earrings or rings that go well with another part of your outfit, as well. You might even look to Reformation to find sustainable and gorgeous shoes.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to up your wedding guest game, the key takeaway is to avoid looking too traditional. Instead of pulling a look off the mannequin or off the shelf, make an effort to find pieces that make you look unique and well put together. Don’t be afraid to look different from everyone else, especially if you feel confident and know you look good.

My longtime sponsor Jill Kay is a community builder with the new American based company oHHo. oHHo is a cannabis and botanical wellness company dedicated to bringing you Plants with Benefits™.  I have included a few common questions asked about oHHo products below for your reference and so you can see what all the hype is about. oHHo literally has a safe and effective product for everything: aches and pains, anxiety, sleeplessness, products for your pets and so much more. You can check out Jill’s page HERE and check out her best sellers. Also, check out Jill’s INSTAGRAM page for more helpful information about oHHo and its products! NS Lifestyles readers will enjoy 10% off all orders with code JILLKAY.

What is CBD and what does it do?

CBD is the abbreviation for cannabidiol. It is a non-intoxicating natural compound extracted from the cannabis Sativa (hemp) plant. CBD and other cannabinoids fit receptors of the Endocannabinoid System helping optimize bodily functions. Genetics, brain chemistry & life experience influence individual benefits.

Does CBD have any unwanted side effects?

Across a number of controlled & open lab trials of the potential therapeutic effects of CBD, it is generally well tolerated with a good safety profile. It is important to remember that CBD can affect everyone differently and what might happen for one person might not be the same for you. When you first start taking CBD, they recommend starting with a low dose and gradually building up.

Is oHHo legal?

The 2018 Farm Bill made hemp-derived products federally legal across the whole of the United States. However, Arizona, Idaho, Nebraska, South Dakota and Texas have not fully adopted this law change. Across the rest of the world, the legal landscape regarding CBD is rapidly evolving. It is recommend that everyone checks the status of laws surrounding CBD in the country to which they are traveling. Europe and the UK allow CBD with varying levels of THC content, while destinations in Asia and the Middle East, among others, continue to regard CBD as an illegal substance. Before traveling with oHHo, we strongly recommend checking the law and exercising discretion. For more information regarding domestic travel, click here.

Is oHHo expensive?

They pack a lot of CBD into the bottles because they want customers to have plenty of doses. The oils come in different strengths. Each 15mL bottle contains between 50-75 effective 15mg doses and each 30mL bottle contains between 100-150 effective 15mg doses. They provide only the best possible artisanal and craft hemp extract grown in the best possible way, extracted cleanly and tested by independent laboratories every time.   But everyone is different and CBD affects everyone differently, so if you are not 100% satisfied with the product, they honor a full refund.