Memorial Day 2016

"The willingness of America's veterans

to sacrifice for our country,

has earned them our lasting gratitude."

-Jeff Miller

There is nothing nobler than risking your life for your country. Nick Lampson
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_memorialday2.html

"There is nothing nobler

than risking your life for your country." 

-Nick Lampson

"The patriot's blood

is the seed of Freedom's tree."

-Thomas Campbell

"For love of country

they accepted death."

-James A. Garfield

"We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers,

but to praise them."

-Francis A. Walker

When I'm out and about,

I've gotten into the habit

of taking the time to shake the hand 

of every veteran I meet

and thanking them for their service.

There's no way that it's enough,

but it's what I can do.

This weekend, please remember those who have been lost

and those they left behind.

May God bless and keep veterans,

one and all.

-daisy 

The willingness of America's veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude. Jeff Miller
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_memorialday.html

The willingness of America's veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude. Jeff Miller
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_memorialday.html

The willingness of America's veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude. Jeff Miller
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_memorialday.html

The Start of Something Big!

Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature. Gerard De Nerval
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/search_results.html?q=nature

Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature. Gerard De Nerval
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/search_results.html?q=nature

"Look deep into nature,
and then you'll understand everything better."
Albert Einstein

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins106912.html

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/search_results.html?q=nature

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins106912.html

We have new visitors.

Just discovered yesterday,

the gulf fritillary caterpillars will be frequent guests

on all of our passionflower vines throughout the rest of spring

and into the summer months.

Welcome, little beauties!

Have a fabulous weekend, y'all!

Here's to hoping you discover something wonderful!

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly. R. Buckminster Fuller
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/search_results.html?q=caterpillars

"There is nothing in a caterpillar
that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
R. Buckminster Fuller

Thrifty Thursday-Candle Making

One of our goals as homesteaders
is to be as self-sufficient as possible.
We are hoping to someday have our own bee hive
to provide us not only with honey,
but also with a supply of bees' wax.

We currently support our local honey growers,

Struther's.

Some of the amazing ways in which the wax is used

is to create lotions and lip balms, as a lubricator for wood drawers

and even as an alternative to plastic wrap!

I've been wanting to make candles for a while.

The necessary components were gathered, including:

bees' wax

wicks (it comes on a roll)

a large can

empty glass jars or other containers

craft sticks or pencils (for holding wicks)

Although usually a winter activity,

here in Central Florida,

with hurricane season looming,

it's a great time to prepare our supplies.

Back-up lighting is one of the important items to have on hand.

Baby food jars had been saved for just this purpose.

I first scraped off the labels, then used olive oil and then soap

to get all the remnants off.

Use whatever receptacles you have at your disposal.

This rather cumbersome slab of wax had to be broken down.

C offered to do the job.

He used a hammer and chisel to cut it into

manageable pieces.

The chunks are placed into the can,

which is seated in a small saucepan with water about halfway up the sides.
On medium heat, the wax will slowly melt.

Keep adding as much wax as you'd like to use for filling containers.

You can also add essential oils at this stage

to customize your candles.

While the wax melts,

the wicks can be tied onto craft sticks

(we used old popsicle sticks).

You can use just a dab of the melted wax

to adhere the wicks to the bottom of the jars.

The hot wax is poured into containers

and left to cool for at least 2 hours.

Wicks can be trimmed at that time.

hot wax

Centering the wick is a good idea.

cooled wax

The whole process is really quite expeditious.

It's time well spent to create a useful item

that enhances the senses and provides a feeling

of self-satisfaction.

We'll be making this an annual ritual,

and most likely adding this craft to our gift list at holiday time.

What could be better than a gift from the heart?

Seed Bombs

Earth Day was a great excuse for me to try something new.
Seed Bombs!
The idea originally was to beautify abandoned lots in the urban landscape
by anonymously tossing these into vacant lots.
The rain helps them to randomly bloom.
Of course, they can be used elsewhere,
but the idea is the same.
Fashion the bombs and let Mother Nature work Her magic.
It sounded too fun to pass up,
so we made ourselves some.

Here's all you need:
seeds
water
potting soil
compost
clay

Our soil mix already contained compost,
so we didn't need to add it separately.
It was also fairly moist, so we didn't need to add water.

The air-dry clay can be found almost anywhere.
It's a bit soft to the touch right out of the container.

Golfball-sized spheres were formed and placed aside.
It was easy to do a dozen at a time.
The container of clay we bought
made a little over 50 seed bombs.

An indentation was made in the center of the clay.

Time for the seeds!
You can use any type of seed,
although easily-germinating seeds or wildflowers do best.
We used 4 types:  
beach sunflower, cosmos, marigold and zinnia.

A few seeds were added to the soil mixture.

The open end was closed.

The bombs were left outside to dry during the day.
It took about 2 days for them to become fully dried out.

I ended up marking the bombs 
with the first letter of the seed type,
in case they got separated from their containers.
This was a fun project 
and I can't wait to see them come up!
Magic, I tell ya!

If you don't want to make your own seed bombs,
you can order some here.

Thrifty Thursday-Eight Earth Day Ideas

Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year.
Earth Day.
The day we set aside to honor our dear Mother Earth.
We strive to show respect for our Earthly home on a daily basis.
Over the years, we have made progress on many fronts,
but we still have goals on the horizon.

Here are a few ways we endeavor to do our part:




1.  Use the clothesline for drying laundry-
One of my favorite chores each week involves enjoying the feel of the sun on my back,
hearing the birds singing and knowing that solar power is taking care of drying our clothes.
Not only does it help us save on our electric bill,
it gets me outside first thing so that I can connect with the world around me. 

2.  Water reclamation-
We have three rain barrels in our backyard that collect water
for use in our garden.
A recent addition to our water conservation efforts is to
save the water used from cooking in a coffeepot that is kept on the stovetop.
Whenever veggies are steamed or beans are cooked,
the cooled water gets added to this pot.
Once a week it is used to water patio plants.



3.  Homemade cleaners-
We started making our own cleaning products years ago.
With a child with multiple sensitivities,
it just made sense to create a healthier environment
by ridding our home of toxic solutions.
Aside from the health aspect,
it saves us money and we feel good knowing that we are not
contributing to hazardous mixtures heading for the water source.




4.  Composting any way we can-
Since our HOA frowns on open composting,
we work around it.
We keep our compost scraps in the freezer
in a recycled coffee bin and add the contents
directly to the garden. 

5.  Using what we have to create something useful-
This birdfeeder was created with what was on hand.
A plant stand, some hose and an old cake pan
work well and we didn't have to spend a dime.
Less consumerism means less goes into the landfill.
We enjoy creating functional items 
and not having to buy anything to do it.

6.  Thinking twice before tossing things-
Along with creating new things,
we find new uses for broken items.
These shard feeders are used daily
to feed the birds in our yard
and they work perfectly for that purpose.
Once again, we've saved something
 from being added to the trash pile.




7.  Using everyday items to embellish-

These seed pots, made from toilet paper rolls,
will not only support new life,
but they will be added to the soil
once their job is complete.
Adding a beautiful new plant to the landscape
and nutrients to the earth is a win-win.

8.  Finding your niche-
Creating my handmade daisy totes helps me to
feel a sense of responsibility about how I am leaving this earth.
I have a choice to be part of the problem,
or part of the solution.
In this small way, I feel that I am fostering Mother Earth
by realizing that we must all do something.

I hope you are inspired to start something new
to support the planet. 
If not now, when?

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. Milton Berle
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational.html

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. Milton Berle
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational.html

"If opportunity doesn't knock,
build a door."
-Milton Berle