Reuse Last Year's Planners and Calendars!

What do you do with your old planners, schedule books, and calendars? I have one wall calendar, hanging by my desk, where I write down all of our plans and milestones. I save that one in a file box. It's kind of like a record of all of the things we did that year. I also have a planner that I use to keep track of blog posts and gardening (like when I planted the peas and when I picked the first tomato.) My husband has a day planner that he keeps all of his scheduled doctor's appointments in. And my oldest, of course, has a student planner that he is supposed to use to keep all of his assignments straight in - he doesn't use it very often... We also receive a few free promo planners in the mail that I usually give to Little Guy to write his "lists" of things to do in - just like Mommy, Daddy, and Brubber do.

At the end of the year, we find that we have these planners and calenders just sitting here. We don't want to throw them out, but what good are they? I'll tell you! You can use them as idea books.

As I was cleaning out my very messy corner of craft supplies, I found the stack of magazines and catalogs that I've been hoarding. Each one had at least one great idea that I wanted to use - a kids' craft, recipe, or DIY project. I really didn't have anywhere to put all of these magazines and, heck, I didn't even know which idea I was saving each book for just by looking at the cover. So, Little Guy and I went through each one and cut out all of the good ideas that we wanted to make someday.
Most of the time, I could just cut out a photo from the magazine or catalog and that would be enough. I don't really like following step-by-step instructions for things that are creative. Instructions make me feel as if I'm doing it wrong if I veer from the "rules" that have been set down. Plus, I tend to read the "Supplies Needed" list and, if I don't have one, I'll skip the project until I do have everything. By just having a photo of what I want to make, I can use my own imagination to figure out how to go about creating the item and which supplies we can use.

So, we spent a couple of afternoons just flipping through those magazines and catalogs, cutting out pictures of things that looked like fun. Now we had a pile of clippings. How was I going to keep them in some kind of order without losing them? As I pondered, hubby came through with his old planner and asked if he could throw it away (See how I have him asking about throwing things out? He's learned not to toss anything into the trash can before asking if I need it for something. Even banana peels are saved here - they add LOTS of potassium to the garden soil!) His asking me at that particular time was perfect - I could use the planner for the clippings!

I arranged the clippings into piles for each month - snowy/winter crafts for January, hearts and lovey crafts for February, etc. When he awoke, we got working on our books. His job was to put a tiny dot of glue onto each cut-out and place it on the planner page for the corresponding month. My job was to hand him the clippings, suggest a good place to glue the clipping (overlap can happen in an instant with an excited little guy!), and help turn the pages of the planner. Now we have our "Idea Book" to look at whenever we're feeling crafty. We can just open it up to the current month and choose from the pictures.


I also used planners for recipes and DIY projects. The recipe book was made from a planner that had an entire page for each day. There are many more pages in that book so I could clip the entire recipe (no, I can't just look at a picture of food and figure it out! LOL) and have room for more. Stew, soups, and other hearty, stick-to-your ribs recipes are glued into the winter months' pages. Quick, warm dinner ideas are in the November and December pages for those days when we're busy with holiday-related activities and there just isn't time for big, complicated dinners. And, of course, I have light, cool dishes in August; and I've got picnic-type recipes stuck to the June and July pages. Birthday cake ideas are now easy to find by turning to the months for everyone's birthdays.

My DIY book is separated by the seasons, rather than months. I simply took a marker and drew a border around each page for each season - blue for winter, green for spring, red for summer (hey, it's hot out!), and orange for fall. The times of year that each project would best be done is where I glued those clippings. So, I have a really neat indoor seed starter idea pasted on a green page. And there is a pretty wind chime made with dried leaves in the orange section. See what I mean?

I have more ideas for making other books:

• I'm going to start looking for homeschooling ideas next, since Little Guy is getting to the right stage to start more learning activities. 
• My oldest keep magazines for drawing ideas that he has seen in them - I think I could persuade him to cut the ideas out and recycle the magazines.
• My husband takes a zillion different medications. He also collects old PDR's. I wonder if I could get him to cut the drug info and photos for each thing he takes and glue them into an old planner? It sure would take up less space than 6 old PDR's (have you seen how big they are?!). Plus, he'd have a little book to take to doctor's appointments, showing exactly what he takes. He could even pencil in the amounts and frequencies of each medication. I know that, if he ever keeled over, I'd have a list of meds to take to the ER with me for easy reference for the ER doctors.

I'd love to hear your ideas of books these used-up 

planners and calendars could be re-purposed into. 

What kind of clippings would YOU glue into an old planner???

Moss Terrariums {Crafty Science!}

I have been wanting to make a terrarium since I first saw them on Etsy, at the end of last summer. I vaguely planned to make them as Christmas gifts, then got caught up in back-to-school & Halloween. Suddenly the holidays were upon us and it was too late. I figured we'd do it as one of our spring projects. Until I was gazing out the window, checking out the squirrels and birds, when I saw this:

 See that lovely patch of green between the dying grass and the fence? It's moss! With the weather being so mild, and even warm on some days, the moss has been "living" it up. I kept my eye on it for a few days and then I just couldn't contain myself any longer. I dressed Little Guy for a nature walk and tossed a few plastic bags and spoons into a tote and we were off to collect things for our terrariums. In January. In Michigan. (Yes, I'm going to keep saying that. I am still amazed at the weather and will continue to be awed until there is 6" of snow on the ground and the temperatures have stayed below 30 F for at least a week!)

Once he finished running around like a nut, we got down to business. It was time to walk very slowly and see if we could spy any moss growing. Once we found a good patch, we collected some of it. Now, when you look for moss for this project, make sure of a few things:
1) Only take a little from each patch and leave the rest to regenerate.
2) Use a spoon or spatula to carefully lift it from the ground. It's pretty hardy stuff, but you want to make sure to lift the entire plant - including its root system.  
3) Don't forget to get some soil from the same area, preferably from directly under where the moss was growing. We found three different types of moss on our outing and each one had a very different type of soil beneath it: One had mostly rocky, sandy soil; one had a soil that was composed mostly of dead grass; a third had very rich soil that was mostly composed of what Little Guy refers to as "worm poops".
4) Take note of how moist the soil below the moss is. You are going to want to try to mimic that amount of moisture in your terrarium.  
5) Also be on the lookout for some nice-looking small pebbles and a few sticks or pieces of tree bark that have signs of moss or mushrooms (or, what Little Guy calls "fun guys") on them. We found a stick with some white "moldy" spots on it, a piece of bark from a tree stump with a mushroom, and bark from a dormant tree with green spots. We're excited to find out if anything sprouts from them!

Now, I want to tell you that you can use nearly anything to make your terrarium. I learned quite a bit from Storm The Castle. (This is THE coolest site for finding really neat things to do, by the way. Go bookmark it right now. I promise you'll use it. Repeatedly.) We used two different things for our terrariums: old honey jars and a plastic cake carrier that someone gave us a store-bought cake in for our terrarium containers. But, really, as long as it is see-through and has a lid or small opening, go for it: aquarium with a crack in it, glass vase, 2-liter pop bottle... Just remember that you're going to have to be able to get stuff into the container and arrange it! (Storm the Castle has a great tutorial on how to make really long tweezer-type thingies from a wire coat hanger so you can reach. I told you that site is great!)

Start by laying down the dirt you collected. Because the cake carrier is near-impossible to open without really jostling whatever is inside, I knew that we wouldn't be able to open it up to add water very often. So, I took a plastic lid that is about 1/4" deep and placed some cotton into it (the white rectangle on the left of Little Guy in the photo). I put this in the center of the cake "plate" before adding dirt. After we got the soil in place, I poked a small hole in the mound above the cotton-filled lid and poured some water into it, as well as all over the rest of the soil. My reasoning for the cotton was so it would hold a layer of moisture without saturating the soil. Don't know if it will matter in the end, or not. Just my theorizing!

(After I took the photo above, I noticed that pieces of dirt and rocks were falling into the area where the dome part of the cake carrier would fit into the bottom. So, I tore up a piece of paper towel into strips and poked them into that area to keep the debris out. You can see the paper towels in the photos below. Keep this in mind while you do the next part!)

So, where was I?! Oh, yeah: add your soil. Make sure to keep track of which soil is added where if you're using different mosses with different soil needs! Pile it up so you have a nice hill if your base is a flat piece like out cake dome has. If you're using a bottle-like container, try using a funnel to direct the different soils to different areas and attempt to get a mound going in there. This is important because, if you ever really look at the lay of the land that your moss is found on, you'll notice that it is usually on an inclined surface, even if it's only slight. Make sure to save some of the soil for later - you're going to need it to fill in spaces between the moss. Once you have your mound of soil, ever so slightly pack it down and moisten it. I just poured a little water onto the cake plate, I used a spray bottle of water for the honey jars.

Now it's time to add the moss! The pieces we had were rather large chunks, so I showed Little Guy how to gently pull them apart into small pieces. I had him decide where to place it. He loved being in charge of this part of the operation! It took forever for him to decide. He kept putting a piece down, turning it a little... moving it to the left, to the right... Sometimes he completely abandoned a piece in favor of a different one. It was really cool to watch him!

Once the moss was in place, I carefully added the reserved soils in between the pieces of moss. Then it was time for Little Guy to add the embellishments we collected. Now, I considered grabbing some tiny "guys" toys and a couple of tiny cars to include in the terrarium, but though better of it. Just before I went digging through the toys, I had a very disturbing vision: Little Guy attempting to recover his toys. Dirt everywhere. Terrarium ruined. Now, if your kids are cool with using toys inside, go for it. I think it would be pretty cool to create a scene with them. Just make sure that whatever you add to your terrarium will be able to withstand the high levels of moisture that it will encounter. Also consider whether it might give off any toxic fumes when wet or warm. The cute little plastic bunnies you add could end up killing all of the living things in there.

I think that I probably added too much moisture to our cake dome terrarium. Since opening and closing it just isn't an option, I have a back-up plan. If I notice that the dome is constantly coated in water droplets or the mosses or fungi start dying, I am going to poke small holes in the top of the plastic dome. This can be done very easily without marring the view: Just take a small nail or even a thick sewing needle and hold it with a pair of pliers over fire (a lighter or the burner of a gas stove.) Um... make sure your pliers are insulated or you're wearing an oven mitt! It doesn't have to get red hot, just hot enough to melt the plastic. Then, poke small holes through the dome, toward the top. This should allow enough moisture to escape without completely drying it out.

Our Finished Products:

This was such a fun and easy project to do. While we worked on it, we had some great conversations about ecosystems, habitats, what plants need to grow, what kind of rocks we were using, the water cycle... We also pondered the possibility of small insects, seeds, and spores being mixed into the soil we used. I'm anxious to see if any surprises grow in our terrariums.

I have another plastic domed container that has been sitting on top of my refrigerator since last spring. I've known it would be great for some use, but was waiting until I was inspired with an idea to use it. This thing is 18" in diameter! I want to do a similar project with that one. I'm not telling you what it is just yet, so watch for a post. It's going to be a little while, though. I need to have the space for the thing to have a home near a window, so I really need to do some purging of "stuff". One of these days, my husband and oldest will be gone all day. That's the day I call Salvation Army for a pick-up, get out the boxes, and get rid of all of this crap we don't really need! That day is coming soon and I can't wait for it. :)

One more thing: If you like this idea, but don't have the time or desire to make your own terrarium (or if you just don't have a moss supply available to you), you can get there ready-made. One Etsy shop I know of that sells these is 8Days Of Treasures. (You can check out the review I wrote of her shop for the Made in Michigan Blog Hop in October HERE.) Stephanie lives in Michigan and creates some pretty awesome terrariums! She also sells some unique glass containers that you could make your terrarium in, such as vinegar decanters, salt ans pepper shakers, and covered candy dishes.

If you make a terrarium and write about it, 

please leave me a link in the comments. 

If you have an idea of what could be added to a terrarium 

for a cool scene, share it! 

If you have pictures of your terrariums, 

I'd love for you to post them to my Facebook wall!

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Quick Update...

Where am I? 

Well, I had a lot of writing lined up for the last two days, but something amazing happened: The weather was nice! Yesterday and today, the temperatures hit the mid-60's. I was certain that the weather was just going to get colder, wetter, and windier for the rest of the month, so I had plans to hunker down inside, writing and baking, and doing some fun Thanksgiving projects with the kids. Instead, we've been hanging out outside.

Yesterday was spent exploring the river shore. Since many of the wildflowers and weeds dies off from the frosts we've had, we can now walk around near the river without being hampered by all of the flora. Little Guy was amazed with all of the different ways that plants regenerate. We found milkweed "floaties", burrs of all shapes and sizes, and "beans" with seeds inside. Since he is very good at plant-identification, he was able to understand which plant each type of seed comes from. For instance, the Queen Anne's Lace has little seeds that hang onto your pants for a ride to their new home. While we were checking out the seeds, we made sure to bring some home to make seed bombs for Christmas gifts to give to those who live locally (you don't want to go sending them across the country and introducing a new species to an area - it may become one of those things that takes over native species and kills them off!)

We also explored the woods behind our home. Just like nearly every other kid, Little Guy loved finding himself knee-deep in leaves! We created a very big pile of leaves and he got to play "hide & seek" in the pile. He just loves hiding and having us scratch our heads and ask each other where he went. My oldest even got in on the fun and taught Little Guy how to throw the leaves into the air and watch them float down all around him.

Today, we already headed for a nice walk to the store. It's very windy, moist, and warm out. Later, we'll be heading out to the garden to get it ready for winter and collect some herb seeds. I also need to cut all of my herbs back. I've already lost all of my basil thanks to procrastination. I need to get to the parsley (I use it for everything!), oregano, thyme, sage, and lavender before a hard frost settles in. Looks like today's the day! I also need to cut down the marigolds and grab the seeds for gifts and next year's garden. Then we need to collect leaves and cover the mint and strawberries. Last year, I took the time to add a 2"-3" layer of leaves under a few inches of soil throughout the garden. I don't know if it helped, or not, but it did attract a huge number of earthworms. If there's time, I'll do that again today.

I made pumpkin seeds and cooked my pumpkin last night. Today, I need to puree and freeze the pumpkin. I'm going to probably spend the evening baking some kind of sweet yummy thing using some of the pumpkin. There are so many amazing recipes out there - I just don't know which to pick... Maybe I'll take a poll of the family and see what they'd like.

Well, that's it! Hopefully, I'll be able to write my Topic 2 post for the Mindful Parenting Collaboration tonight. It's all in my head - I just need to get it straight and type it all out! I've also got a couple of other posts that I need to write before the ideas leave my head and I lose my motivation. Oh, and there will be a few more giveaways posting this week, too!

Oh, and last, but certainly not least, PLEASE take a minute to enter my current giveaways. They are all sponsored by Etsy shops and I'd love for you to show these wonderful artists some love.  All of these giveaways are open to the US and entries are easy to complete with Rafflecopter:

Custom Stacked Hair Bow in Winner's Choice of Colors 11/15

$25 GC to ElJay Plushie (stuffed animals, paintings, dolls, blankets, etc.) 11/17

A Very Special Customized Greeting Card! (11/21)

I Ran Into An Old Friend {Wordless Wednesday}

Just ran into an old friend yesterday afternoon. I thought he (more likely "she") had been lost in a storm or moved into the woods. Nope! Here's a little retrospective of my praying mantis friend.

May 2011 (after hatching in my kitchen!)

May 2011 - 1/2 inch long

Early June 2011 - in my oregano

Late June 2011 - up to 1 1/2"

YESTERDAY! On a sunflower leaf - about 6" long.

Sure wish I could bring him in for the winter. Wonder if they live that long? Anyway, I have nothing to feed it and I'm not about to start a grasshopper colony inside just for food! I'm going to keep on the look-out for another pod of eggs, though.

I owe this guy big. Last year, at this time, the grasshoppers had stripped my garden. This year, not nearly as much. I wish I'd had my camera when I watched this guy grab a grasshopper in mid-jump, then eat it! Every garden should have a resident like this.

Ready to Make Seed Bombs Again? Now is the Time! {Re-Post and UPDATE}

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Over the past few weeks, I've noticed that many plants are beginning to seed. I'm a collector and seeds are one of my favorite things to hunt for. If I see a plant with flowers that I have been admiring go to seed, I'll grab a few. I always carry a few empty spice jars with me whenever we go for neighborhood walks* or to the park - you just never know! I usually just transfer the seeds to envelopes and either write the name of the plant on it if I know it, or draw a picture of the flower and a leaf if I don't. I try to write down where I found it, too  it makes knowing where to plant it (full sun, shade) easier, too.
This year, though, we're going to make seed bombs. I plan to make three varieties: wildflowers that can be planted anywhere in our area, mixed flowers that thrive in similar habitats and have similar watering needs, and single varieties (mainly herbs and large plants that may overshadow and kill smaller ones.)

*If you are collecting seeds from someone's yard, always ask if it's OK. I've never been turned down. Most people are going to tear out the plants at the end of the season and buy new ones in the spring anyway.

So, I am re-posting my "Make Seed Bombs" post from way back in March in case you are interested in trying your own hand at making these. I've made a few changes to the original post. You will notice that the changes are in red type-face, if you saw the original post. I'm sorry I don't have any photos of us actually making them. I have just one 4 1/2 year-old digital camera and the thing has taken a beating. Making seed bombs is a messy and involved business and there is no way I could imagine having the camera that Little Guy so badly wants to use out while I'm elbow-deep in mud and seeds!

From: justseeds.org

Now, you may be aware of these sweet little gems but, if not, here's a quick explanation. Seed bombs are small balls of clay, compost/soil, and seeds that you can easily plant (or even toss) into your yard for some pretty flowers. These are great gifts for spring - Easter, Mother's Day, birthdays, or "just because." They're also a wonderful two-fold activity for kids. First, you can make the bombs and then, later, your children can have their own little patch of yard or even a pot to grow them. At this time of year, there's another activity you can throw in - hunting for the seeds! Heck, if you have older kids, they might even be interested in trying to find out just what kind of plant the seeds you've found have come from - trip to the library and some research, too! Another use for these, and this is what they were actually created for in the first place, is to create pretty and natural spaces in vacant lots. Just carry a few with you wherever you walk and toss one or two into that abandoned yard.

One point to remember is that you should choose seeds that are native to your area, or if mailing to a friend or relative for a gift, native to their area. First, they will grow better with little or no care. Second, they will be appropriate for the birds and insects in your area. Introducing new plant species can be hazardous to the ecosystem in the long run, so make sure you check online or with your local parks service to make sure the plants you choose won't do any harm. Many times, park systems even have native plant seeds available for free or a nominal fee.

You will need:
1/2 c. mixed seeds
3/4 c. compost or garden soil
1 1/4 c. powdered clay (red or brown)**
Water

Directions:
1. Either cover your work surface and the floor with lots of newspaper, or work outdoors. Wear old clothes and be ready to get a little lot dirty. Don't worry - it'll ALL wash off!
2. Mix the seeds with the compost. Gently stir in the powdered clay. Be careful not to mix the powdered clay to quickly because, while it's just clay, you don't want to breathe it in. (The clay isn't toxic, but your lungs don't need all that dirt in there!)
3. Add the water so the mixture is just moist enough to form into balls about 1" in diameter, or the size of a walnut. Little Guy, who helps me bake bread, loves his job of "kneading" the "dough"!
       **Don't use too much water. You run the risk of soaking the seeds too much and either starting them growing or rotting them. Using too little water, on the other hand, can lead to the balls crumbling apart. Try to get a consistency like play dough.
4. Set the balls about 1/2" apart on newspaper-lined baking sheets to dry. Depending on the humidity, it should take about 24 to 48 hours. You want to make sure they're completely dry all the way through before storing or giving. Don't dry them in the sun - they'll start to grow. Trust me - I've done this! You can cover them with newspaper and hide them in a shady spot outside. Drying in the oven, even on the lowest setting could be too hot and kill the seeds - Been there, done that, too!

If you're storing the seeds for your own garden, put them in a paper bag in a dry, cool, dark place. If you plan to give them away, there are tons of ways to make the gift look great. Here are a few ideas:

• Recycle some old shirts by sewing simple cloth bags and tying with a pretty ribbon. 
• cotta pots, a bag of soil, homemade garden markers and seed bombs into a basket. 
• Have your kids decorate a small box with paint, stickers, or cut paper of the flowers that the seed bombs will grow into. 
•  Put the bombs into an old candy box!
•  Try adding some pretty recycled paper into the muddy mixture for some color.
• Press the seeded clay into silicone candy molds for heart-, flower-, etc. shaped bombs 
• I have experimented with using just paper to make seed bombs. The best paper is handmade because it dissolves well and molds better. A friend of mine was tickled pink to receive purple seed bombs for her birthday - it's her favorite color!
• Let your kids go nuts and sculpt the seed bombs into whatever shape they want! We made truck bombs and car bombs the last time we did this. To make sure you're not making them too thick to dry properly, make sure that the thickest part of the bombs doesn't go over the 1" diameter mark.

The possibilities are endless! Don't forget to include a list of the seeds included in the bombs and instructions.


**If you do not have access to the clay powder, try using air-dry clay. I have seen quite a few instances where people have used it successfully. I looked up Crayola Terra Cotta Air Dry Clay 2.5 lb Bucket. According to the Art and Creative Materials Institute, the people who check this stuff for toxicity, it is not toxic in any way - toy you, your kids, or the environment. Use this link to read the report for yourself. This stuff is readily available at nearly any store that sells children's art supplies and isn't really expensive. Just make sure to NOT add water unless you need to!

ANY IDEAS???

Please share any ideas you may have for this great project. If you do make these, let me know how they turned out and add any tips you come up with. I love hearing new ideas and brainstorming. Even if you have an "I wonder if I did ____ what would happen" floating around in your head, please share it. Maybe someone knows the answer or is willing to try it out and will report back with the results.

Oh, THIS is My Subject! {Smart Summer Challenge - Week 3}

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You'll never guess what this week's Smart Summer Challenge topic is...

Give up???

BACKYARD SCIENCE!

I know - it's just perfect for me! I'm a naturalist at heart and love pointing out all of the different things like bugs, plants, animal behaviors, etc. to my kids. My little guy knows which leaves in our garden he can eat (the herbs) and which are dangerous. He can name most of the insects he comes across. My oldest, who I still point things out to, is constantly saying, "I know, Mom!" But, when he thinks I'm not paying attention, I overhear him being all smarty-pants to his friends and telling them these little factoids I've passed on to him. Pretty cool, huh?


Since I'm kind of like the Queen of Backyard Science around here, I'm stuck on what I should write about. It seems like every time we step outside, a science lesson commences. It's so common that I don't really feel as if this stuff is post-worthy. I guess I'll have to wing it... And all of you lovely readers may have to put up with a ton of posts from me this week. I tend to procrastinate - a LOT - so, my plan is to type up whatever we did ASAP and post. Maybe that will work. Trust me - it'll only be for one week - next Monday, it'll be a new theme!


Here are some of my ideas of the things we do nearly every day and what I might try to elaborate on for the kids this week:

• While hanging laundry, we can talk about heat from the sun, wind, and how both lead to evaporation.
• We are seed-savers. I often tell my little one about how pollination from insects makes it possible for seeds to even appear. Maybe while we're harvesting some seeds this week, we can take the time to sit back and discover just which insects in our yard do the most pollinating.
• One thing that I have yet to do with Little Guy is show him how a magnifying glass can be used to concentrate the sunlight into a powerful fire-starter. Not sure if it's something I'm willing to show my extremely boisterous and often unruly toddler... BUT, I'm thinking that my oldest might be interested in trying a little wood-burning artwork with a magnifying glass and a few Popsicle sticks.
• When we pull weeds this week, I would like to save a few and go over the different parts of a plant. I have a few out there that have flowered and began to go to seed. They would be perfect. Plus there are the roots, etc. 
• There's always the age-old Queen Anne's Lace in the dyed water experiment to show how water travels up the stem to the flowers. I wonder how it would work if we did one with the roots and one that was cut... Sound like a great comparison experiment!

OK, I think I have more than enough to write about. I'm not sure if we'll get to them all, or if I'll find something different to do. We'll see what the week brings us. Oh! I just remembered! We have storms coming this week - could do something on weather, and how about the bleaching properties of the sun, and lightning bugs and the moon... 

            and... 

                       and...

Interested in joining in the Smart Summer Challenge? Check out THIS POST to see what it's all about and how to join. Hey, there are even prizes to be won! Not that I wouldn't be doing this anyway - it's fun! - but hey, PRIZES make it even more enjoyable, you know?!

Garden {Wordless Wednesday 7/6}

Somewhat "Wordless" Wednesday... my garden at the half-way point. Completely organic - I can't believe it hasn't been eaten up more than this!

Oh, and there's a surprise at the end!

Oregano - after I've already harvested and dried from it twice!

My friend, Fred. In the mornings, while I sip my morning coffee, I watch him pluck mosquitoes from the undersides of leaves for his breakfast.

Uh... yeah, peas!

After releasing our ladybugs, they made their home in my radishes. They laid a ton of eggs. I just didn't have the heart to pull them up. So, now we have flowers!

Beets for hubby (yuck!) Not doing very well... it was planted in May!

First flower from our Heirloom German Striped Tomato. Can't wait to see how it tastes. Check out how fuzzy this plant is!

Little Guy's favorite - mint. He loves plucking off a leaf and chewing it up - especially when we have guests over. Someone will almost always ask if he's eating something poisonous.

Um, OK... yes, grasshoppers eat gardens. BUT, I happen to like them. Plus, I have giant dragonflies that visit daily AND a really cool praying mantis who love to catch them in mid-air. Circle of life, food chain, and all that stuff, right?

HaHa... When you're gardening, sometimes you just gotta go. We live in a second floor apartment, so getting to the potty on time doesn't always work. Daddy and Little Guy picked out an emergency potty area for those just-in-case times! (And, he's a guy. I think that the need to pee outside is in their genes!)

Ladybugs!!!

Last winter, as I was perusing Amazon for Christmas gifts for the kids, I saw Insect Lore's Ladybug Land for only $5.89 + free shipping! No, I didn't get it for the kids - it was for me. It sat on a shelf all winter and early spring, just making me even more impatient for warm weather than I already was. I've never seen ladybug larvae. I had no idea WHAT their lifecycle was like. Boy, was I excited touse that certificate to order my ladybug larvae. Just like a little kid who sent away for a toy from the back of a cereal box,  anxiously checked my mailbox daily for my ladybugs!

Now, I tend to think of myself as an amature naturalist. Since I was very young, I could identify all kinds of plants, animals, and insects with little or no prior knowledge. Maybe my mind sees these things in passing and files them away for later... I don't know. Last year, I somehow knew immediately that the little, orange finch-like bird that stopped behind our house on this migration south was an oriole. To my knowledge, I've never seen one - in real life, a book, or a TV show. I just knew.

So, when my ladybug larvae arrived, I was extremely surprised at what was in the little tube! I had seen these things while I was outside before, but I had no idea what they were. When I came across one, I just moved to a different place and pretended I didn't see it. They are scary-looking!

Ewwww!!! Don't let them touch me!

These things are amazing - I already learned something new and they were out of the mailing tube for less than a second! Now, there are a few things that I have found that Insect Lore doesn't mention about the insects they send you. The first is what is in the food that is provided. I looked it up on Google and cannot find it. If anyone knows, please tell me - I'm very interested! (And the butterfly food, too!)

The red-orange ones are pupae, the yellow-ish ones are larvae. Not much difference!

The other thing is: you don't hear about how messy insects can be. See the little dots in the picture above? They were all over the dome - I didn't think I'd be able to even get a good photo without the camera trying to focus on those instead of the bugs. It's not really something you think about, is it? Maybe they omit this information because there are plenty of people who would outright refuse to have the things in their house if they knew. It's not like the things crawl all over the house leaving little droppings and their shed skins everywhere - it's all contained and can be cleaned with just a little water in a few seconds. But I think that there should be some kind of explanation in the instructions. Just sayin'...

Anyway, they successfully made it into the pupal stage - where they sat for days. I ended up forgetting about them. Then, one day, Little Guy was jumping up and down and pointing at the Ladybug Land. I looked inside and there were 10 ladybugs running all over the place. They were busy! Insect Lore says to soak a raisin in water for five minutes, cut it in half, and put it in there for them. I had raisins all ready, so Little Guy and I went into the kitchen to "cook them breakfast." Yeah... the raisins were gone - the entire giant bag. Argh.

I found myself in the garden, crawling around and looking for aphids among my radishes, tomatoes, and peas while Little Guy... um...helped. Now, last year, I had to pull all of my parsnips because the aphids were just going nuts and I couldn't control them with organic methods. This year? No aphids at all. We had to venture into the woods, where the swarms of mosquitoes live, to find these things something to eat. After a good 15 minutes of slapping and searching, we hit the jackpot. Ick! I pulled the whole plant out of the ground and, carrying it by the roots to keep the creepy-crawlies from touching my hands, I put Little Guy under my arm and ran as fast as I could back into the house. I tossed the plant in and washed my hands like Lady Macbeth.

When I returned to the Ladybug Land, Little Guy was staring intently inside. There was an aphid assassination going on in there! I must say, it was pretty cool.

After the feast - that leaf was COVERED with aphids! Anyone have any mini toothpicks?

The next morning, the other five ladybugs emerged and we got to watch. Did you know that they don't have spots on them right away? It was kind of neat to watch them appear. After they were all out and had their spots, it was time to set them free. I was NOT going to go back into those woods! The instructions said that, if I wanted them to stay in the yard, to let them go in the morning. Here are the photos:

NONE of them flew away! It's been two days and I am pretty sure they're all still out there. I'm hoping to find some of their bright yellow eggs on the back of some leaves. I know that I won't be afraid of the larvae now! Oh, and while we were out there, I found an old friend!

Right in the middle of my oregano, the only surviving praying mantis! He is the "king" of the 25 I found in the cupboard last month - he ate everyone else! He's made it through 100 degree weather, 40 degree nights, 60 MPH wind gusts, and, recently, quarter-sized hail!


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I Was Featured!

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Please go check out The King's Court IV's Gardening 101: Shout Out! This week, she featured some of my tips and photos!

First Day of Spring: Plan Your Garden!

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If you remember, Little Guy and I went and dug around in the dirt last week, preparing for this year's garden. Now, I'm in no way a green thumb. I love growing things and reaping the rewards of my labor, but my experience is nil. Last year, I had a real garden for the first time in my life. Until then, I had always grown one or two tomato plants in pots on the patio. I live in an apartment, so having a place to garden really wasn't an option. That is, until my sweet husband talked the landlord into letting us till up a section of his yard last year!

I was so excited that I bought a bunch of seeds and just started planting them like crazy. A month later, I learned the value of actually planning a garden. I had Sunflowers blocking sun and rain from tomatoes, Morning Glories had climbed my bean poles and choked the poor little bean plants out. I threw herbs here and there, not even considering how much light they needed, how tall or wide they were going to grow, or whether they would make good companion plants for the vegetables I had sown right next to them. My marigolds choked out my marjoram, basil, and oregano... It was a mess! I think I ended up with a few tomatoes, radishes, and a million sunflower seeds for all of my work!

This was just the very corner of my garden. It was pretty to look at, but ineffective for growing food!

 This year, it's going to be different. First of all, I will be gardening with my little guy. I want to grow things that will be easy so he can see things grow. I want to plant things that he likes to eat and that he can pick right off of the plant and munch on whenever we go out to pull weeds and water. I need a plan!

I am so happy that groOrganic offered to let me try out their Garden Planner! It's this great online program that allows you to drag and drop a ton of different vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs into your garden before you even break ground. I love how you just click on the name of a plant and you get all the details you could ever need - where to plant, how much sun, how big they get, if they need a lot of water... The planner also is set to limit the number of plants you drop into your garden based on how much room they need, so no more overcrowding for me!

 The very first thing they do when you sign up is figure out where you live. You put in your address and they pin-point you on a map to figure out your exact climate. This is really important for me. I live very near Lake Erie and my weather is always different from areas just five miles away. After setting your dates for planting (they tell you when to start seeds indoors and when it's safe to start them outside), the site will email you with reminders of when to plant and what to plant. Thank goodness! I was so screwed up last year that I has stuff struggling to grow. I put my cucumbers in in June - NOT something you're supposed to do! Ever hear the saying, "Cool as a cucumber?" It's not because you keep them in the fridge, it's because they HATE hot weather! (And mine hated me, too!)

groOrganic really wants to help you succeed - they have video tutorials that describe how to use the garden planner, help you plan next year's garden so you can rotate your crops, and help you with succession planting. You can even print out your plans, notes, etc. so you don't have to work from memory. And if you get mud smeared on your plan, just throw it into the compost bin and print out another!

They also sell organic gardening, landscaping, beekeeping, and poultry-raising products!

The company offers two levels of membership which offer unlimited access to the Garden Planner for a year:

(From the groOrganic Site)

The Premium Harvest Membership ($99/yr.) includes:
1. Access to our groOrganic Garden Planner while an Association Member. This online Garden Planner helps you grow fruit and vegetables to the best of their ability, whatever the size or shape of your garden or plot. With the groOrganic Garden Planner it is easy to draw out your garden plan and decide how best to plant it. The groOrganic Garden Planner software shows how much space plants require and how to group them for maximum success, removing the need to look up planting distances and crop families. Growing advice is just one click away as you select the plants that you wish to include, enabling you to solve problems and maximize your harvest from the space you have.
2. New and renewing Members receive 12 packets of groOrganic's Non-GMO Seeds with their annual membership card.
3. A groOrganic Gardening Instruction Manual full of useful information about growing your garden will be mailed to you as well!
4. You will receive Members Only online discounts and gifts.

5. AND you will benefit from Online Consulting and FREE online review of your Garden Plan by a Certified groOrganic Gardener!

GREAT FOR SCHOOLS DEDICATED TO THE ONGOING EDUCATION OF THEIR STUDENTS BY WAY OF A groORGANIC GARDEN.

The Seedling Membership ($39/yr.) includes :

groOrganic Garden Planner

You will receive access to our  groOrganic Garden Planner while a Seedling Association Member. This online Garden Planner helps you grow fruit and vegetables to the best of their ability, whatever the size or shape of your garden or plot. With the groOrganic Garden Planner it is easy to draw out your garden plan and decide how best to plant it. The groOrganic Garden Planner software shows how much space plants require and how to group them for maximum success, removing the need to look up planting distances and crop families. Growing advice is just one click away as you select the plants that you wish to include, enabling you to solve problems and maximize your harvest from the space you have.

If you're planning a garden this year, I strongly urge you to go check out groOrganic's Garden Planner. Whether you're an old hand at gardening or a newbie, this planner will simplify your life. No more drawing out plans, trying to figure out when to plant each thing, how much sun it all needs, and whether you can harvest ans plant something new before autumn. 

For more information email info@groOrganic.com or call 888-9-groOrganic (888-947-6674) or visit their site at groOrganic.com

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.