Hunting is a popular hobby in southeast Michigan.
Yes, I know, you do get meat for the efforts. But these days, it’s a more a hobby than a means to feed your family because quite a bit of money is spent on equipment — and sometimes travel — before you bring home that deer or turkey.
And [...]

Are you a crafter or vendor with a home-based business? A lot of people do that either as a spinoff from their hobby, or to bring in a bit more income when the day job salary isn’t enough.
The fall and holiday craft and vendor show schedules for Monroe County, Mich., are arriving so fast at [...]

You probably have a collection of something. We have collections of favorite things, and we use some of them to decorate our home.
On my kitchen window sill, you’ll see an arrangement of blue pottery items. This started about five years ago when we moved to our current home.
Since the kitchen colors are blue and white, [...]

There’s an uproar on the Internet about one of the newest dolls in the American Girls doll collection.
Why? The character is homeless.
The situation is feeding a commentary frenzy not only over the doll / toy / story line – but over the cost of the A.G. dolls, which have always been expensive in comparison to [...]

This notice was in Wednesday’s edition of The Monroe Evening News:
Hunter’s Den, a shop at 673 Cooper Ave., Monroe, Mich., that sells used hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor gear, will have its grand opening from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday Sept. 27.
Owner Paul Goodnuff, who hosts the Local Sportsman show on Monroe Public [...]

Like most moms, I have made way too many cupcakes over the years.
I like making and eating cupcakes anyway. So when potluck appeals get sent out, about half of the time I report back to the planning committee “Paula will bring cupcakes.”
I have discovered that my co-workers would rather have oatmeal cookies than cupcakes, so [...]

This post is for my readers in and near Monroe, Mich., and was on page 6A of Wednesday’s edition of The Monroe Evening News:
Hunter’s Den, a shop fea­turing used hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor gear, will open soon at 673 Cooper Ave. in the West Sev­enth Street Plaza.
Owner Paul Goodnuff, host of the Local [...]

You might not expect this hobby for a frugalista, but one of my hobbies is Barbie doll collecting.
At last count, I had more than 70 dolls. Most of them are the international Dolls of the World series that started in 1980. I also have four small plastic boxes of “pink box” play dolls, clothes and [...]

The American Sewing Expo will be held Sept. 25-27 at Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, Mich.
I picked up a show flier today at Jo-Ann Fabric in Monroe, Mich. I’ve heard this is a really great show and it features a variety of classes and products aimed at beginner through expert sewing skills.
Admission is $12 per [...]

One of the little-known facts about me is that I have long been a science fiction fan and have been a member of a Star Trek club since the early 1990s.
The club I belong to is based in Toledo and the members were very interested in going to Star Trek: The Exhibition at the Detroit [...]