It's been a busy week for me. I've been gone from my home almost every day this week. All the beautiful weather has been passing me by. :( I hadn't been able to get in my garden until yesterday. It was such a beautiful day and the warm weather felt so good. I think I'm ready for spring. Got some things accomplished in the garden that I was wanting to do.
My husband and I have been working on an area behind our barn. We want to make a place behind the barn that would be a retreat. Maybe a little outdoor room without walls. There is a beautiful view from behind the barn and there is always a nice breeze plus it is shaded in the evening from the sun. We also think it will be a great place for star gazing in the summer.
Speaking of star gazing, Thursday evening we were outside after the sun had gone done and it was a beautiful evening. No wind, it wasn't to chilly and not a cloud in site.....the night sky was beautiful. My husband and I pulled the picnic table out from under the tree and laid on the picnic table and enjoyed the beauty of the night sky. It was awesome! No, not awesome...Magnificent. I like winter star gazing almost as much as summer because you do not have to contend with bugs.
It looks like winter is about to give us another blast. I'm hoping for lots of snow...no ice!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Memory Clutter
We recently signed up to get the OWN Network on our cable channels and we are really enjoying it. OWN is Oprah's new network. She has a lot of interesting programs. I recently watched one that was really good. It was about people who acquire lots things, "clutter", they don't really use any of it but it is hard for them to part with it. The host of the show goes into their homes and teaches them how to evaluate things and get rid of what they really won't ever use.
One of the categories that he dealt with that applied to me was memory clutter. I don't have a lot but that is one thing that is hard for me to get rid of. The host of the show would ask the person he was working with, "can you remember the memory that is attached to this, if you can it needs to go." There are items that are sentimental that you do want to keep but you can't keep everything that has a memory attached to it. I laughed when I was watching this because when we were cleaning out our shop last month we came across a good size box that was full of things from my mom. It was the contents of her desk. Some of it was business papers that we needed to keep several years for legal reasons but she has been dead for 27 years now. There were lots of hand written notes and there was a folder of all her gardening info. Her hand drawn lay out of her last garden and all the flowers and bushes she was planting and where and clippings from seed catalogs of the flowers she wanted to purchase. I still haven't thrown away the garden folder yet but I know I need too.
The host of the show said,"everyone can get rid of 80% of what they have" and I know that is true. I have two drawers of old T-shirts to work in and when I go to those drawers there are always 3 shirts that I choose from. So why do I keep all of the other shirts? They need to go!
When they finished clearing out the room, getting rid of their junk, and then rearranging what was left the room looked great. The clutter was gone, it was an organized peaceful room. A place you wanted to be.
Well, dig a little deeper and get more organized. That's what I plan on doing! :)
One of the categories that he dealt with that applied to me was memory clutter. I don't have a lot but that is one thing that is hard for me to get rid of. The host of the show would ask the person he was working with, "can you remember the memory that is attached to this, if you can it needs to go." There are items that are sentimental that you do want to keep but you can't keep everything that has a memory attached to it. I laughed when I was watching this because when we were cleaning out our shop last month we came across a good size box that was full of things from my mom. It was the contents of her desk. Some of it was business papers that we needed to keep several years for legal reasons but she has been dead for 27 years now. There were lots of hand written notes and there was a folder of all her gardening info. Her hand drawn lay out of her last garden and all the flowers and bushes she was planting and where and clippings from seed catalogs of the flowers she wanted to purchase. I still haven't thrown away the garden folder yet but I know I need too.
The host of the show said,"everyone can get rid of 80% of what they have" and I know that is true. I have two drawers of old T-shirts to work in and when I go to those drawers there are always 3 shirts that I choose from. So why do I keep all of the other shirts? They need to go!
When they finished clearing out the room, getting rid of their junk, and then rearranging what was left the room looked great. The clutter was gone, it was an organized peaceful room. A place you wanted to be.
Well, dig a little deeper and get more organized. That's what I plan on doing! :)
Monday, January 17, 2011
Another Beautiful Sunset
This picture doesn't do it justice but the sunset yesterday evening was really beautiful. The sun was a huge orange ball. Just gorgeous!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
All Clean Inside
This may be a new post that some of you may not want to read. I will try not to be too graphic but I feel so good this morning that I wanted to tell you about the Liver-Kidney-Bowel Cleansing Fast and the Natural Gallbladder Flush I just completed.
For about a year, on occasion I had experienced slight symptoms of what I thought might be my gallbladder. I had heard and read about the natural gallbladder flush but truthfully I was a little afraid to try it. The thought kept coming to my mind, "what if something gets stuck in there" so I kept postponing taking any action.
Several weeks ago,I pulled out a couple of colon books and started reading them again plus the testimonials at the end of the book and I knew that I definitely needed to do a liver, kidney, and bowel cleanse. My colon book suggest that just for good maintenance for your body you should do the liver, kidney and bowel cleanse once or twice a year. The gallbladder flush info was in there also, I read it but wasn't sure I was going to do that.
This fast is a simple program that accomplishes detoxification of the major organs that are involved in retaining toxins in the body.
Materials needed:
Approximately 12 fresh lemons daily (no artificial substitute)
3 quarts of distilled water daily
1 pint of pure maple syrup
First day - 1 1/2 cups of fresh squeezed lemon juice mixed with 2 quarts of distilled water. To this add 4 tablespoons of maple syrup. This will be your total intake of fluid and food for the day; you should sip on it often. The 2 quarts should be consumed by 6 p.m. Please do not eat or drink anything except water after 6 pm.
Second day - Repeat day one. Today get lots of rest. Not much activity.
Third day - Repeat day two. Today you might feel like you are getting the flu. You might have a headache and feel unsociable. Hang in there. Your body is getting the message and making some adjustments.
Fourth and Fifth day - Stop the lemon mixture. Drink all the fresh tomato juice, carrot juice, and grape juice (dilute grape juice 1/2 with water), no commerical packaged juice. Do not drink citrus juices this day. Switch to spring water and drink all you wish.
Sixth and Seventh day - Add some raw fruits (morning) and raw vegetables (afternoon) to your diet these two days. These foods would be best if they were put through a blender. If you don't have a blender, remember to chew-chew-chew. You can also have all the fresh juice you wish. No citrus yet. Lots of water.
Eighth day - Today you can add plain yogurt and cottage cheese to your raw fruits and vegetables. Eat all you like. Drink 2 quarts of spring water.
Ninth day - Eat lots of raw fruit in the morning. At noon add some lightly steamed vegetables to your routine. Have all the fruits, yogurt, cottage cheese and steamed vegetables you wish and drink lots of water.
Tenth day - If you woke up on top of the grass instead of under it this morning you have made it. You are by now a much thinner, but wiser person. Today you can add small portions of chicken, fish, turkey or vegetable protein to your mid-day meal. Have all the fruits, vegetables, yogurt, cottage cheese and juice that you like. As always drink plenty of water. By now you should have a very clean colon, liver and kidneys.
Eleventh day - Today you can go back on a very light regular diet. (This does not mean an extended visit to the Pizza Hut). It does mean that by now you should be able to eat anything you wish on a very moderate level. If you made it this far please do yourself a big favor and don't get caught up in the junk-food lane again. You now have a beautiful clean body. Treat yourself with respect by developing a good healthy restoration diet of lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, pasta, grains, seeds, nuts, sprouts and lots of pure water.
Remember to keep your colon clean by incorporating into your daily routine a good colon cleaner that includes a lot of fiber and herbs.
(1-11 are the instructions from the book)
I altered the directions a little. I put the maple syrup in the water the first day and it's ok but I really like the taste of lemon water so I didn't do it again. I also had one small cup of coffee every day :( . I didn't want to go through the process of having that headache because I was still going to drink coffee when the fast was over. If I was going to discontinue coffee from my diet I would have eliminated the coffee. I followed the rest of the directions except that I drank only water for four days instead of three. I was helping my daughter with something and I wasn't home to start the carrot juice. So I postponed it until the fifth day. On the fifth day I started the carrot juice and tomato juice. Around noon I was feeling a little nauseous and had some hurting between my shoulder blades it lasted about l5 minutes. I experienced a little nausea again about an hour later. Then about an hour after that I pasted 3 gallstones about the size of a quarter. Was totally shocked. I was surprised that I would pass gallstones just doing the fast. So that night, I thought if I'm passing gallstones and I haven't even done the flush maybe I should consider doing it. And I did. The next day I drank carrot and tomato juice and that evening I started the gallbladder flush at 7:00 p.m. according to the directions.
Directions for gallbladder flush
1 pint of virgin, cold pressed olive oil
1/2 pint fresh squeezed lemon. Squeeze just before treatment.
1 small can of V-8 juice or pineapple juice
1 measuring cup and 1 tablespoon
Begin your treatment at 7 pm. Using a measuring cup pour 1/4 cup of olive oil and drink it. Follow this with two tablespoons of lemon juice and follow the lemon juice with one tablespoon of tomato juice.
Now lie down and relax. Try to lie on your right side. Read or watch TV. Repeat the exact dosage every 15 minutes until you have drunk the pint of olive oil. If there is lemon juice left go ahead and finish it at this time.
While you are doing the treatment, if you get nauseated, or the olive oil gets hard to swallow take some additional time between doses. You can take up to 20-25 minutes. The object is to get it all down, or as much as you can.
When you have finished the olive oil and lemon juice, go to bed and go to sleep. Try to lie on your right side as long as you can. The purpose is to speed up the process of getting the olive oil to the duodenum. The lemon juice will help free the stones for easier elimination.
Stay in bed until mother nature calls. You may get your first call around 2 or 3 a.m. Some may not start the elimination until around 10 or 11 the next morning. You can have gallstones like gravel, the size of peas, the size of your thumb nail and green bile. The stones can be green, brown, tan, shades of blue and even some green and red. The color comes from the bile salts.
For the next 30 days be kind to yourself. DO NOT eat anything that is fried or greasy, or highly spiced. Your diet should be mostly raw fruits and vegetables. You may steam, boil, bake or stir fry vegetables if you like. After 30 days gradually resume your normal diet. Hopefully, it will be a higher quality diet than ever before.
I followed the instructions precisely. I really didn't have a problem getting all the olive oil and lemon juice down. I really think that being on the fast helped accomplish that. Although, from the first drink of the olive oil, it was hard to swallow that. I was ready for the lemon juice after having that olive oil in my mouth. It took almost 2 hours to consume the olive oil doing it at 15 minute intervals. After it was all down, I went to bed and went to sleep lying on my right side. I woke up and 1:00 a.m. and was going to the bathroom off and on until 1:30 p.m. It wasn't until around 5:00 a.m. that I started seeing little tiny green things in the stool. I was feeling pretty nauseous around that time. I was feeling a knot in the pit of my stomach also. I thought how could anything still be in there. From about 6:00 a.m. until 11:00 there were from gravel size stones to pea size stones and they were green. Then around noon the big production finally arrived stones around the size of a dime, pea size and a lot of green bile. I would guess that all together I had probably 1/2 cup of gall stones. The pit was finally gone in my stomach. I felt a little weak and exhausted but I never had any severe pain just the nausea. I sipped on water until around 4:00 pm and I made a fruit smoothie that evening. I went to bed that night and slept 10 hours. I can't tell you the last time I've slept that long.
I don't have any major health problems and I would say to consult your physician before doing anything like this if you do have health problems.
For me, it's nice to know that there are natural alternatives to surgery. I just wish the medical community would help people more along these lines.
P.S. I hope I haven't grossed you out to bad, but when I said I looked forward to sharing my life with you I wasn't kidding. (laughing):)
For about a year, on occasion I had experienced slight symptoms of what I thought might be my gallbladder. I had heard and read about the natural gallbladder flush but truthfully I was a little afraid to try it. The thought kept coming to my mind, "what if something gets stuck in there" so I kept postponing taking any action.
Several weeks ago,I pulled out a couple of colon books and started reading them again plus the testimonials at the end of the book and I knew that I definitely needed to do a liver, kidney, and bowel cleanse. My colon book suggest that just for good maintenance for your body you should do the liver, kidney and bowel cleanse once or twice a year. The gallbladder flush info was in there also, I read it but wasn't sure I was going to do that.
This fast is a simple program that accomplishes detoxification of the major organs that are involved in retaining toxins in the body.
Materials needed:
Approximately 12 fresh lemons daily (no artificial substitute)
3 quarts of distilled water daily
1 pint of pure maple syrup
First day - 1 1/2 cups of fresh squeezed lemon juice mixed with 2 quarts of distilled water. To this add 4 tablespoons of maple syrup. This will be your total intake of fluid and food for the day; you should sip on it often. The 2 quarts should be consumed by 6 p.m. Please do not eat or drink anything except water after 6 pm.
Second day - Repeat day one. Today get lots of rest. Not much activity.
Third day - Repeat day two. Today you might feel like you are getting the flu. You might have a headache and feel unsociable. Hang in there. Your body is getting the message and making some adjustments.
Fourth and Fifth day - Stop the lemon mixture. Drink all the fresh tomato juice, carrot juice, and grape juice (dilute grape juice 1/2 with water), no commerical packaged juice. Do not drink citrus juices this day. Switch to spring water and drink all you wish.
Sixth and Seventh day - Add some raw fruits (morning) and raw vegetables (afternoon) to your diet these two days. These foods would be best if they were put through a blender. If you don't have a blender, remember to chew-chew-chew. You can also have all the fresh juice you wish. No citrus yet. Lots of water.
Eighth day - Today you can add plain yogurt and cottage cheese to your raw fruits and vegetables. Eat all you like. Drink 2 quarts of spring water.
Ninth day - Eat lots of raw fruit in the morning. At noon add some lightly steamed vegetables to your routine. Have all the fruits, yogurt, cottage cheese and steamed vegetables you wish and drink lots of water.
Tenth day - If you woke up on top of the grass instead of under it this morning you have made it. You are by now a much thinner, but wiser person. Today you can add small portions of chicken, fish, turkey or vegetable protein to your mid-day meal. Have all the fruits, vegetables, yogurt, cottage cheese and juice that you like. As always drink plenty of water. By now you should have a very clean colon, liver and kidneys.
Eleventh day - Today you can go back on a very light regular diet. (This does not mean an extended visit to the Pizza Hut). It does mean that by now you should be able to eat anything you wish on a very moderate level. If you made it this far please do yourself a big favor and don't get caught up in the junk-food lane again. You now have a beautiful clean body. Treat yourself with respect by developing a good healthy restoration diet of lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, pasta, grains, seeds, nuts, sprouts and lots of pure water.
Remember to keep your colon clean by incorporating into your daily routine a good colon cleaner that includes a lot of fiber and herbs.
(1-11 are the instructions from the book)
I altered the directions a little. I put the maple syrup in the water the first day and it's ok but I really like the taste of lemon water so I didn't do it again. I also had one small cup of coffee every day :( . I didn't want to go through the process of having that headache because I was still going to drink coffee when the fast was over. If I was going to discontinue coffee from my diet I would have eliminated the coffee. I followed the rest of the directions except that I drank only water for four days instead of three. I was helping my daughter with something and I wasn't home to start the carrot juice. So I postponed it until the fifth day. On the fifth day I started the carrot juice and tomato juice. Around noon I was feeling a little nauseous and had some hurting between my shoulder blades it lasted about l5 minutes. I experienced a little nausea again about an hour later. Then about an hour after that I pasted 3 gallstones about the size of a quarter. Was totally shocked. I was surprised that I would pass gallstones just doing the fast. So that night, I thought if I'm passing gallstones and I haven't even done the flush maybe I should consider doing it. And I did. The next day I drank carrot and tomato juice and that evening I started the gallbladder flush at 7:00 p.m. according to the directions.
Directions for gallbladder flush
1 pint of virgin, cold pressed olive oil
1/2 pint fresh squeezed lemon. Squeeze just before treatment.
1 small can of V-8 juice or pineapple juice
1 measuring cup and 1 tablespoon
Begin your treatment at 7 pm. Using a measuring cup pour 1/4 cup of olive oil and drink it. Follow this with two tablespoons of lemon juice and follow the lemon juice with one tablespoon of tomato juice.
Now lie down and relax. Try to lie on your right side. Read or watch TV. Repeat the exact dosage every 15 minutes until you have drunk the pint of olive oil. If there is lemon juice left go ahead and finish it at this time.
While you are doing the treatment, if you get nauseated, or the olive oil gets hard to swallow take some additional time between doses. You can take up to 20-25 minutes. The object is to get it all down, or as much as you can.
When you have finished the olive oil and lemon juice, go to bed and go to sleep. Try to lie on your right side as long as you can. The purpose is to speed up the process of getting the olive oil to the duodenum. The lemon juice will help free the stones for easier elimination.
Stay in bed until mother nature calls. You may get your first call around 2 or 3 a.m. Some may not start the elimination until around 10 or 11 the next morning. You can have gallstones like gravel, the size of peas, the size of your thumb nail and green bile. The stones can be green, brown, tan, shades of blue and even some green and red. The color comes from the bile salts.
For the next 30 days be kind to yourself. DO NOT eat anything that is fried or greasy, or highly spiced. Your diet should be mostly raw fruits and vegetables. You may steam, boil, bake or stir fry vegetables if you like. After 30 days gradually resume your normal diet. Hopefully, it will be a higher quality diet than ever before.
I followed the instructions precisely. I really didn't have a problem getting all the olive oil and lemon juice down. I really think that being on the fast helped accomplish that. Although, from the first drink of the olive oil, it was hard to swallow that. I was ready for the lemon juice after having that olive oil in my mouth. It took almost 2 hours to consume the olive oil doing it at 15 minute intervals. After it was all down, I went to bed and went to sleep lying on my right side. I woke up and 1:00 a.m. and was going to the bathroom off and on until 1:30 p.m. It wasn't until around 5:00 a.m. that I started seeing little tiny green things in the stool. I was feeling pretty nauseous around that time. I was feeling a knot in the pit of my stomach also. I thought how could anything still be in there. From about 6:00 a.m. until 11:00 there were from gravel size stones to pea size stones and they were green. Then around noon the big production finally arrived stones around the size of a dime, pea size and a lot of green bile. I would guess that all together I had probably 1/2 cup of gall stones. The pit was finally gone in my stomach. I felt a little weak and exhausted but I never had any severe pain just the nausea. I sipped on water until around 4:00 pm and I made a fruit smoothie that evening. I went to bed that night and slept 10 hours. I can't tell you the last time I've slept that long.
I don't have any major health problems and I would say to consult your physician before doing anything like this if you do have health problems.
For me, it's nice to know that there are natural alternatives to surgery. I just wish the medical community would help people more along these lines.
P.S. I hope I haven't grossed you out to bad, but when I said I looked forward to sharing my life with you I wasn't kidding. (laughing):)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
THOUGTHFULNESS
This thought was on my flip calendar this morning.
Timely good deeds are nicer than afterthoughts. The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention.
I was listening to a tape last week and this person said when he rises up from his bed before he puts his feet on the floor he says, "thank you God". I thought how that must please God that your first thought would be toward Him and then to thank Him that you lived another day, that your had a good night sleep, and that your breathing. I thought, God's not seeking some grandiose prayer but just a simple thank you. Then his next thought is how can I help someone today. He said, "it doesn't have to be something big (but it might be) but it might be something small just be sensitive to God and His leading during the day." Living a life of gratefulness and from your heart wanting to help others is a life of peace and joy.
Picture - a sunset from our front yard.
Gardening Tips
I want to share some things with you that I have found very helpful in my gardening. Particularly, my vegetable garden. My raised beds are 4 feet by 12 feet. I have a couple that are 14 and 16 feet long. The important thing to remember in building your raised bed, you want to be able to reach the middle of the bed from both sides. We used untreated lumber that was 2x16 or how ever long you want your raised bed to be. We didn't buy cedar which is supposed to last forever. We built our first raised beds 15 years ago and this winter we have replaced our first raised bed. The wood had decayed but the rest of the beds are ok. I think 15 years is pretty good for replacing a raised bed. We live in the country and we do have our battle with moles and gophers so we staple chicken wire to the bottom of the raised bed before we fill it with dirt. After you have positioned your raised beds buy a couple of bundles of roofing shingles. Depending on the size of your garden you may need more. This is a little expensive but it is worth it. Lay out the shingles between your raised beds and be sure and overlap all sides. Then take straw and cover the shingles. You will not have to worry about weeds. For me, my biggest enemy in my garden is weeds. In the spring, all I have to do is freshen up my straw. Some people put tiny gravel between raised beds. I would suggest not leaving grass because it will grow under your raised bed.
I usually plant my tomatoes in a section of my garden not in my raised beds. After I have all my tomato plants in the ground (this takes two people) I cover the area with newspaper 3 or 4 sheets thick, covering all the ground around the tomato plants, making sure I overlap the newspaper so the ground doesn't have a chance to see the sun. I cover the newspaper with water as I go so it's wet and will stay to the ground and the wind won't blow it up. After the ground is covered with newspaper, I go back and soak the newspaper again with water then I cover that area with straw also. It does a good job of keeping the weeds out plus it helps keep the plant from drying out so quickly.
One of my favorite things for the garden is my Mantis tiller. It's a mini tiller that is easy for me to handle and its great for tilling your raised beds and for tilling between the rows of your garden. It's easy to start and handle. Believe me, I can never get our weed eater started but I can start the little tiller every time.
I know a lot of gardeners use Miracle Grow and I do use that on my flowers but I use fish emulsion on my vegetable garden. It really does great. If you have a compost pile that is the best thing you can use on your garden. It truly is black gold.
Speaking of a compost pile. Just start a small one. I found a mini metal trash can with a lid and I put it under my sink for all of my scrapes (coffee grounds, egg shells, vegetable clippings and fruit skins;oranges,lemons etc.)then every day or so I empty it into my pile outside. Be sure and put your compost pile where it will get the most sun. It needs to get hot! You can't put grease or any kind of meat into your pile. If you go to the OSU extension center they have a good handout on building a structure for a compost pile as well as how to start one. I haven't checked on line but I'm sure you can get detailed information on composting on line. You really can't even imagine the difference your homemade compost makes in your garden. I really didn't realize it myself until I did it and saw the difference.
Also, one more thing. If you haven't planted any bulbs yet be sure and do that. You will love seeing those tulips and daffodils blooming in the spring. I think you would be safe in planting bulbs until the end of January after that I wouldn't do it. Check TLC because they usually sell a huge box of bulbs for $50.00. It's a great buy. I can't remember exactly but I think there are over a l00 bulbs in the box. One tip on planting bulbs, don't plant them in a row plant them in groups. You may not want to plant 100 bulbs now but say you plant 10 plant them in a round circle not in a line. Personally, I like the look of a group of flowers more than a line. Most of the time, a line of flowers looks a little needy not bountiful!
Oh, don't forget the garden show at the Fair Grounds this month. My husband and I always enjoy going and looking at the latest garden tools, new plants, landscaping ideas, etc.
I usually plant my tomatoes in a section of my garden not in my raised beds. After I have all my tomato plants in the ground (this takes two people) I cover the area with newspaper 3 or 4 sheets thick, covering all the ground around the tomato plants, making sure I overlap the newspaper so the ground doesn't have a chance to see the sun. I cover the newspaper with water as I go so it's wet and will stay to the ground and the wind won't blow it up. After the ground is covered with newspaper, I go back and soak the newspaper again with water then I cover that area with straw also. It does a good job of keeping the weeds out plus it helps keep the plant from drying out so quickly.
One of my favorite things for the garden is my Mantis tiller. It's a mini tiller that is easy for me to handle and its great for tilling your raised beds and for tilling between the rows of your garden. It's easy to start and handle. Believe me, I can never get our weed eater started but I can start the little tiller every time.
I know a lot of gardeners use Miracle Grow and I do use that on my flowers but I use fish emulsion on my vegetable garden. It really does great. If you have a compost pile that is the best thing you can use on your garden. It truly is black gold.
Speaking of a compost pile. Just start a small one. I found a mini metal trash can with a lid and I put it under my sink for all of my scrapes (coffee grounds, egg shells, vegetable clippings and fruit skins;oranges,lemons etc.)then every day or so I empty it into my pile outside. Be sure and put your compost pile where it will get the most sun. It needs to get hot! You can't put grease or any kind of meat into your pile. If you go to the OSU extension center they have a good handout on building a structure for a compost pile as well as how to start one. I haven't checked on line but I'm sure you can get detailed information on composting on line. You really can't even imagine the difference your homemade compost makes in your garden. I really didn't realize it myself until I did it and saw the difference.
Also, one more thing. If you haven't planted any bulbs yet be sure and do that. You will love seeing those tulips and daffodils blooming in the spring. I think you would be safe in planting bulbs until the end of January after that I wouldn't do it. Check TLC because they usually sell a huge box of bulbs for $50.00. It's a great buy. I can't remember exactly but I think there are over a l00 bulbs in the box. One tip on planting bulbs, don't plant them in a row plant them in groups. You may not want to plant 100 bulbs now but say you plant 10 plant them in a round circle not in a line. Personally, I like the look of a group of flowers more than a line. Most of the time, a line of flowers looks a little needy not bountiful!
Oh, don't forget the garden show at the Fair Grounds this month. My husband and I always enjoy going and looking at the latest garden tools, new plants, landscaping ideas, etc.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Decorating Ideas
Before Christmas I got a call from a new client. This lady has lived in her home for about 30 years and recently had the living area painted, new carpet installed and purchased new furniture for her living room area. She wanted help with picture groupings for her walls, arrangement of new furniture and help with mantel and bookshelf accessories. She wanted to try and use some of the things she had and she was willing to purchase new items if needed.
In the ten years I have been decorating, the two things that are always missing from a room that transforms it from cold to warm and inviting are lamps and greenery. Natural light and artificial light make mega changes in the feel of a room. Light makes a difference in the way a person feels also. This lady had a living area that was about 14 x16 feet and we bought 4 lamps for her living space and I also suggested a very tiny lamp to keep on as a night light that she may go back and purchase. I don't necessarily like lamps that match. It depends on the room and what look you want. We bought a large lamp with a large lamp shade that had her accent color then we bought several lamps that had the accent color in the base of the lamp and the lamp shades were neutral. I like to find things that can be turned into lamps. Adds lots of character and is eye catching. I try to find something that pertains to the likes and interest of the client that portrays their personality. When lights are on in a room at night, it looks great to have a floor lamp, lamps for end tables and small lamps with smaller bulbs tucked away in little spots or corners.
She bought a new picture to put above her couch and we did away with an old mirror that she had used for a long time. The picture brought in color which the room needed. She had some angel prints that she really liked and wanted to use again. So I made a little grouping with them and purchased a shelf to go with that grouping. She had some little angels that her grandchildren had given her that she placed on the shelf.
On her bookshelves and mantel we added some greenery. The scissors we incorporated because she is a seamstress. In her kitchen, she had a collection of pink antique dishes and I picked out several pieces for a collection on her bookshelf. She also had some antique books boxed up and she got those out and I made a display of those on her shelves and I found the little glass dog in her collection of antique glass and added this to the grouping. She loved it saying, the books belonged to her mother and the dog had been a special keepsake of her husband's (who is now gone)and she really liked having these things where she could see them on a daily basis. We all have things that mean something to us that is stored away and never seen. I love finding those things to decorate with because they mean so much more to the homeowner than going out and buying something just to fill up a space.
These are the pictures of some of the things I did in her home.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Green Bean Tee Pee Playhouse
Wow, I can't believe it is already the 10th of January. It seems like it should just be the 2nd or 3rd. Oh well, I was looking at my calendar this morning trying to decide when I am going to start planting my seeds for my tomatoes and herbs. I started the first of March last year and that was too late so I'm thinking around the 3 or 4 week in January. Can't wait to get started on that.
I want to tell you about an idea I saw years ago and thought it was so cute. At the time, my children had passed the age of enjoying this so I have kept the idea tucked away for my grandchildren. It is a green bean tee pee playhouse. When you are planning your garden this year set aside a little space for a small tee pee or a little hut. It needs to be big enough for children to go inside and sit and play. Build the structure and then plant your pole beans (instead of bush beans) along the edge. The beans will climb over your structure and the children can play inside and also pick the beans for you and eat them too :). I think children would love this. You can make this very colorful by planting green, purple and yellow pole beans. You could even incorporate a Morning Glory vine in with the beans and have flowers too. This is a wonderful project to incorporate math lessons, information on nutrition, and getting children excited about gardening, producing and helping them bring out their creativity.
My picture isn't the greatest but hopefully it will give you some ideas. I personally like the tee pee idea myself. You might come up with something better than these two ideas. Be sure and take your poles at least a foot into the ground to have good support. This structure is big enough for just one child. If you have several children you will need to make it larger.
This will be great fun for your children and will make some wonderful memories for them.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Finish what you start!
The following quote was sent to me by my husband and I think it is great. It is so true to life. I don't know if some people are just naturally more disciplined but I do know that I know more people who are not disciplined than who are. I am a person who has had to learn to be disciplined and so have my children. One of the scriptures that hung in our school room was "The precious possession of a man is diligence." When you have the problem of being disciplined you can really see how precious diligence is.
One of my dear friends from junior high was always a very disciplined person. After we were married, I would go to visit her, I was amazed at what all she accomplished. She was always finishing projects, her home was so organized, she looked great, her children looked great and she was how I wanted to be. I was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. But a lot of it was because I was lazy and a procrastinator. I wanted things the way she had them but at the time I wasn't willing to do what it took to get there.
MUCH OF THE STRESS THAT PEOPLE FEEL DOESN'T COME FROM HAVING TOO MUCH TO DO, IT COMES FROM NOT FINISHING WHAT THEY STARTED.
"You are your work. And every project that's put on hold, every deadline that
comes and goes, and every problem that goes unsolved....they are all a part
of you. The to-do list may be erased, but the stress it leaves behind is in
permanent ink. Finish what you start. It's about the best advice that carries
through to your work, your marriage, and every angle of your life!"
David Allen
I always told my children that your work is a portrait of who you are. Pay attention to detail and always do your best! And the other part of that is finish what you start. To finish what you start brings satisfaction, accomplishment and you become a producer!!!!
One of my dear friends from junior high was always a very disciplined person. After we were married, I would go to visit her, I was amazed at what all she accomplished. She was always finishing projects, her home was so organized, she looked great, her children looked great and she was how I wanted to be. I was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. But a lot of it was because I was lazy and a procrastinator. I wanted things the way she had them but at the time I wasn't willing to do what it took to get there.
MUCH OF THE STRESS THAT PEOPLE FEEL DOESN'T COME FROM HAVING TOO MUCH TO DO, IT COMES FROM NOT FINISHING WHAT THEY STARTED.
"You are your work. And every project that's put on hold, every deadline that
comes and goes, and every problem that goes unsolved....they are all a part
of you. The to-do list may be erased, but the stress it leaves behind is in
permanent ink. Finish what you start. It's about the best advice that carries
through to your work, your marriage, and every angle of your life!"
David Allen
I always told my children that your work is a portrait of who you are. Pay attention to detail and always do your best! And the other part of that is finish what you start. To finish what you start brings satisfaction, accomplishment and you become a producer!!!!
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