Pop and Thistle

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How to Create a Raised Bed Garden

Raised bed gardening refers to gardens whose surfaces are higher than the surrounding ground, whether they’re in the yard or on a patio or deck. Most are constructed by building large boxes to hold the garden soil approximately 8 inches higher than the surrounding ground; but, it is also possible – and sometimes quite practical …

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Go Green This Spring Cleaning Season with Homemade Aromatherapy Cleaners

Make Your Own Cleaning Solutions and Save Money Is your spring cleaning really as clean as you think it is? Spring cleaning is supposed to be a ritual of purging the accumulated dirt, germs and odor from a winter-weary home to create a clean and healthy living space. Unfortunately, the often caustic and toxic ingredients …

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Mint Tea and Its Health Benefits

Mint Tea is a popular herbal tea, frequently used to make iced tea as well as hot tea. Mint tea has a cooling quality and makes a particularly refreshing iced tea, both when used alone or when blended with other herbs or with green or black tea. Varieties of Mint: There are many varieties of mint, …

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Chamomile Tea and Its Benefits

Chamomile Tea is a popular herbal tea widely thought to have a calming and relaxing effect. Chamomile, sometimes spelled camomile, is a family of related plants; most of the chamomile used in tea is the species Matricaria recutita. In addition to being consumed as a tea on its own, chamomile is a common ingredient in herbal tea blends. …

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Pet Profile: The Cheerful Bichon Frise

If you suffer from allergies, but want to have a dog, you may want to take a look at the Bichon Frise. This charming little dog’s sole function is to provide companionship and it does its job extremely well. The Bichon Frise is classified as a part of the Non-Sporting Group by the American Kennel …

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Tips on Purebred Dog Training

The term ‘purebred’ is relative. No breed has been so isolated that it’s never mated with another. But taken over the last hundred years or so, there are populations of Golden Retriever, German Shepherds and many others that have bred only with their own kind. As with any inbreeding program, the results tend to produce …

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Meet Kukicha Twig Tea, A Japanese Green Tea Made From Stems

Kukicha is a type of Japanese green tea that is made mostly or exclusively from twigs and stems. This stands in contrast to most teas (green or otherwise) which are made mostly from leaves and buds of the tea plant. Sometimes kukicha is referred to as kukicha tea, but the “tea” is redundant as “cha” means tea …

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Choosing the Right Dog Breed: A Step By Step Guide

Did you know that there are several hundred dog breeds? With that large number of breeds to choose from, how do people manage to decide which breed is right for them? Luckily, you can narrow down the choices and find the right dog breed by following a few simple steps. First, consider your available space. …

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Hearty Potato Soup

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work, shop and even the way we eat. More than ever, we are looking for easy and affordable recipes to cook from home. Make sure every dollar goes as far as possible by shopping at a discount retailer, like Giant Tiger. Not only do they have a …

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Kids Educational Activity Sheet: Hot or Cold?

This printable “hot or cold?” game is a fun way for kids to learn about temperature. Cut out the squares for them to match, or have them draw lines to match. Click on the image below to save this 8.5 x 11 letter (paper) size free printable activity page. All rights reserved. This is for …

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