How is your green thumb? I admit I have killed my share of houseplants over the years. For some reason, as I’ve grown a little older I somehow manage not to kill as many as I used to though. Maybe you need to be a grown-up to have a green thumb? I don’t know…but if you are “green thumb challenged” here are a few suggestions for some greenery that is fairly forgiving.
Plants that can be ignored in a shady room:
- Ivy – Ivy comes in many hardy varieties. Popular ivies are Persian ivy, Irish ivy, Algerian ivy, and English ivy. Don’t overwater an ivy and it will thrive in a low light apartment or house.
- Spider plant – A little water now and then and a little sun and spider plants will usually stay healthy. I love it when my spider plants have babies, too! The baby spider plants just grow right on stems off the adult houseplant. Pick these and repot them!
- Wax plant – The wax plant does well as a hanging houseplant. Wax plants need a little more direct sunlight but otherwise are easy to care for.
- Snake plant – Snake plants can take as much or as little sun as you have to offer and they are notoriously hard to kill. This houseplant can grow to as much as four feet tall.
Best houseplants that can be ignored in a sunny room:
- Cacti – The Prickly Pear and Column cacti are thorny…the Bishop’s Cap and Christmas Cactus are not. All are easy to care for.
- Aloe – Aloe is easy to care for. It is a medicinal plant and can be used to treat superficial burns. Break off a leaf and squeeze the aloe vera gel onto the burn.
- Bromeliads – Needs a lot of sun and a warm room.
There is no denying the fact that plastic is convenient. It is almost indestructible, lightweight, and easily portable when on the go. Unfortunately, unless you’ve been under a rock somewhere…you’ve been hearing about the health hazards that are now being associated with plastic use. Hazards that are serious enough to encourage us to rethink our love-affair with plastic.
There are trace amounts of BPA and phthalates that are released when plastic is exposed to heat or it ages. These chemicals are now tentatively being linked to early puberty in girls, breast and prostate cancer, ADD, and ADHD.
Another reason to strive to reduce our plastic consumption is the fact that plastic doesn’t ever completely biodegrade. It breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces and it has really nowhere to go.
So…how far are we willing to go to institute a little change for the good of our health and the earth? There are some pretty simple things that we can start doing today that can have far reaching affects for the better.
- Bring your own grocery bags to the store. For a very nominal amount you can purchase a reusable bag. I’ve seen them on sale for .79 at one grocery store where I shop.
- Consider buying some higher quality food storage containers made of glass.
- Carry your own travel mug for trips to the coffee shop. You will probably even get a discount price for bringing your own!
Realistically, it just isn’t possible to eliminate plastic completely from your household. However…here are a few alternatives to consider.
Kitchen:
- Baby bottles and sippy cups
- Buy glass or bottles that state they are BPA-free.
- Stainless steel water bottles are becoming more popular for adults. There are water bottles for kids more available too now.
Food Storage:
- Consider replacing your plastic food storage containers with glass. Pyrex and Ikea both have differet sized container sets. I also use pint and quart mason jars for food storage and they work great!
Foods:
- Tomato sauce, broths, and soups now come in boxes.
In the Bathroom:
Shower:
- Cloth shower curtains are a great alternative to plastic. Not only are they not plastic, but they come in wonderful decorative colors and themes.
- Consider eliminating bottled body soaps and return to bar soap. No waste in the packaging and more economical!
Do you have any other suggestions for reducing your household and personal plastic use? Please share!
Technorati Tags: biodegrade, BPA, BPA-free, chemicals, phthalate free, phthalates, plastic
Good Morning!
This blog is still very new…but I think I’ve mentioned (maybe even a few times) how much I love lists. They keep me organized and the simple bullet-style is easy to stay focused on.
In this spirit…I thought I would share a Thursday Thirteen with you and I plan on making this a regular feature of this blog.
Thirteen Things To Do to Celebrate Fall
- Take a walk in the woods
- Burn a fall candle that smells yummy
- Bake a fall pie
- Get out my fall decor
- Put away the flip flops
- Put a pumpkin on my front steps
- Get out my heavier quilts
- Find a project to do while inside the house more
- Make a big pot of soup
- Have the kids find fall items outside to make a centerpiece or wreath
- Get out the sweaters and hoodies
- Sit outside on the porch with my morning cup of coffee (bundled in a quilt of course!)
- Hit the last rummage sales of the season and find some awesome deals!
Technorati Tags: fall, Thursday Thirteen
No…this isn’t my apple pie. But it actually looks a lot like the apple pies I typically make. And I am planning on making my first apple pie of the autumn season some time this week. It promises to be wonderful. I will share the recipe if anyone is interested!
Technorati Tags: Apple Pie, Autumn
I have two desks in my home that I manage. My main desk is in our school room and this is where my household journal is kept, all of my personal files, all of the household files, owner’s manuals, my desktop PC lives here, general office supplies. It is my general “control center” of our home.
I also have an auxiliary desk that is in our dining room. This desk is a more “family” desk as others keep items here. It is an antique drop-down desk with lot of unique cubbies, drawers, and niches for cool storage. I keep some general office supplies here, as well as some pictures, some magazines I need to read, this is where we charge various personal electronic devices, there are some activities for the kids…it’s a general family desk like I said.
Anyway…I love a good organization project so recently I purchased a few new office organization products and today I am going to do some reorganizing in both of these areas. Here is what I bought:
A charging station for our electronic devices
A three cube stacker (CDs fit in this, but I’m not sure what’s going in it yet)
A wall rack for papers
Some plastic bins that can stack for storage
A “see storage” desktop organizer for small items.
This should keep me busy today!
Technorati Tags: Desk Organization, Tackle It Tuesday
I admit it…coffee is one of the few things I just refuse to give up that MIGHT not be good for me. Actually…it seems that “they” go back and forth between whether coffee is bad or good and I think it’s on an upswing right now from what I’ve heard. Come to think of it…what I’ve read says that the best coffee for you is a fresh brewed cup.
So…with this in mind I thought I’d share my favorite way to make a killer fresh brewed cup of coffee. The secret to a really great cup of coffee? A French Press. I know they seem fussy and a little intimidating…but really, making coffee in a french press should not scare you off.
Let’s Go!
- Use good beans. Experiment with the roast you like – medium or more bold, but use good Arabica beans.
- Start with cold, filtered water.
- Grind only the beans you will be using at that time.
- Remove the plunger (the top part) from the French Press.
- For each cup of coffee grind 2 T (1 coffee scoop) of whole bean coffee. When using a French Press, the dark roasted, oily beans are usually used. Be sure not to finely grind the beans! Use coarsely ground beans because finely ground beans can clog the filter of the press.
- Place the coarsely ground beans in the bottom of the French Press.
- Add hot but not boiling water to the pot. Leave at least one inch at the top. Stir carefully.
- Place the plunger back on top of pot. Turn the lid to seal the pour spout opening. Don’t press down yet. You need to allow the coffee to brew for about five minutes.
- Hold the pot handle with the spout turned away from you. Start applying slight pressure on top of the knob and carefully lower the plunger straight down into the pot. Try to lower the plunger slowly and evenly for best results. Please don’t rush this step! If you push the plunger too fast you can cause scalding water to shoot out of the spout!
- Open the pour spout and serve the coffee.
See? I told you that wasn’t so bad. French Presses are not expensive and you can often find them at thrift stores and rummage sales. Try this and let me know what you think! You won’t be sorry!
Technorati Tags: Arabica, beans, Coffee, French Press
I love to decorate with wreaths year-round…but there’s just something about autumn that really says “wreath” like no other season.
One of the neatest thing about making your own fall wreath is that you can do so with many of the things you probably have in your yard…or things you can find on a walk in the park or the woods. Get your kids involved in this! They will love it!
OK…let’s get those creative juices flowing. Here are some things you could easily find and incorporate into a lovely autumn wreath.
- dried hydrangeas or mums or other dried flowers
Go ahead and take a little shortcut and start with a simple grapevine wreath (the kind you buy at Michaels or any craft store). To determine the size of the wreath form you will need, measure the width of your door and subtract 6 inches. Your wreath form should not be bigger than this number.
Choose your theme from the treasures you’ve gathered and get busy. There really is no “right” or “wrong” way to make your wreath. Experiment and use trial and error until you have a finished effect that you like. Simply weave your decorating material into the wreath and intertwine the stems with the vines. If you are concerned with staying power, a hot glue gun works well to secure any loose items.
Technorati Tags: Autumn, Bittersweet, Crafting, grapevine, wreath
Summer and Autumn have been wrestling for control for several weeks where I live. We have been going back and forth between balmy, 80 degree sun and crisp, cooler days with a nip in the air. I, personally, love autumn. I love the crispness in the air…I love the bright sun that lights up the days but doesn’t melt you…I love baking with apples and pumpkins and how my house smells when I am busy in the kitchen…I even love the more disciplined days for everyone as we dig into the books and settle in to a new school year.
The autumnal equinox occurs on September 22, 2008 at 11:44:18 A.M. EST. At this time the sun appears to cross the equator from north to south and this is the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.
As I was thinking about all of the things I enjoy and appreciate about autumn, I just had to make a list. Anyone who knows me, knows I love lists…so you’ll be seeing plenty of lists on this blog!
Anyway…here is a quick “Top 25″ of things to do in Autumn! If you have any favorites, please post them! I’d love to hear yours as well!
1. Visit an apple orchard
2. Rake leaves and jump!
3. Buy or knit a new sweater
4. Make a wreath out of dry bittersweet
5. Make a pumpkin pie
6. Bake something with cinnamon
7. Buy yourself some “school” supplies – even if you’re not in school!
8. Collect some brightly colored leaves
9. Go for a walk in the woods and observe the changes in nature
10. Wear socks again
11. Wear a hoodie
12. Buy a couple of pumpkins and put them on your front steps
13. Host a neighborhood potluck
14. Fly a kite
15. Harvest vegetables
16. Find a great set of mittens, hat and scarf
17. Learn to like football
18. Drink hot tea again
19. Make homemade soup and simmer it all day on the stove
20. Make hot cider
21. Sleep with the window open a crack even when it is really chilly – burrow under a warm quilt!
22. Make homemade doughnuts
23. Roast pumpkin seeds
24. Take pictures of the changing landscape around you
25. Set out birdfeeders and try to attract birds
Technorati Tags: Autumn, Things to Do
I’m almost beside myself as I type this. This blog has been formulating in my mind for a long, long time and it is finally becoming a reality!
I wear many hats in my life…wife, mother, homeschool educator, cook, maid, laundress, organizer, gardener, chauffer, writer, seamstress, painter, fix-it extraordinaire, bargain-hunter, events planner…I could go on but you get the picture. I do a lot! Over my years managing our home, I have made it my goal to organize every facet to run as smoothly as possible.
I’ve learned a lot in the process; I’ve made my share of mistakes as I went as well. As life has progressed I’ve managed to create a fairly abundant, yet simplistic, life for my family. I firmly believe that this is a key to satisfaction.
This blog will be a source of meaningful, useful information for anyone seeking true abundance…the blessings of simplicity among abundance.
Please join me – there’s lots still to learn as well! We can learn as we go!
