January 2012!

It's hard to believe it's the end of January! We've been blessed so far with a very mild winter. It makes you wander out doors and dream of spring. In doing so be sure to check those flower beds for weeds. They are sneaking in early this year. Also, mulch, mulch, mulch. Early blooms due to our mild weather could prove disasterous if we get a late freeze.

You might also start to plan now where to put in a new flower bed and how to incorporate more privacy and shade in your yard. Being in the county we have space, space and more space.  Break it up and create outdoor rooms and play spaces.  Here are a few pictures of inspiration.

Get out and enjoy the great outdoors!

Fun Solar Lantern

I love the look of light scattered throughout my yard during the summer evenings.  I have small lights around my porch, a lighted fan, landscape lights, etc... I also like to add small solar lights to several of my pot plants to accent them during the evening hours.

Unfortunately my dogs have decided they like my small solar lights too. When they light up the dogs think it's playtime just for them! They pull them up and toss them around the yard and sometimes they finish the game with chewing on the post. UGH! So the other day I collected 5 of my little light tops that now had no post and and was wondering what to do with them.  I hated the idea of throwing them away. Then I was looking through a magazine and saw a hanging mason jar tea light idea.  It was simple. Make a wire hanger for your mason jar, put a little sand in the bottom and then place a tea light inside.  Eureka - perfect little yard decor and light.  With this idea in mind I decided I should make a "solar" lantern with my little lamp tops.

What I did:

Unsecured the solar light top from the base
Used 24 gauge jewelry wire (it's what I had on hand)
Pulled out my box of extra beads and chose a few (gotta have a little bling)
Selected a clear clean jam jar from our recycle bin

1) Take a long length of wire and wrap around twice around the lip of the jar, making sure you have enough extra to create a handle/hanger.

2) Take a second length of wire and secure on the side and then wrap around the bottom of the jar. Use needle nose pliers or jewelry pliers and pull secure. After you get the wire shaped and taught take the loose end and add the beads so that they will hang at the bottom of the jar.

3) Secure the wire on the other side. And loose ends can be curled and shaped to accent the jar.

4) Add a handful of small rocks, pebbles, marbles, etc... to the jar.

5) Take the solar light top and secure to the top of the jar with ticky tack or glue.

Now you have a fun little summer lantern ready to accent your yard and make good use of a few supplies on hand. ;)

I will add a new picture when it's less windy! The wind was really making it dance. ;)

Earth Day!

We are hearing more and more a big push to go green. To live with less, to bring balance back to our lives and world after the past decade of excess & living in a disposable society.

OK, I'm game. Now what? Think baby steps to a bigger change in your life and the world around you.

Learning the three R's of the millennium. No, I'm not talking reading, 'riting, and 'rethmetic. The three R's for the new millennium are Reduce, Recycle, Reuse!

Take a look at your space and armed with your three R's think of ways to make simple everyday changes that you can live with.


Tips you can use now:

1. Stainless steel water bottles - ditch the plastic. You will save money and lessen the burden on landfills.

2. Electric Shavers - Using an electric shaver again saves money & reduces our landfills.

3. Reusable shopping bags - Most of us have at least one now in our closets or pantries - now we need to think ahead & take them with us!

4. Donate - Take stock of your out of date, too small or unworn clothing and donate it! Take the tax write off and give to a good cause. It's a win, win situation. Don't overlook other household items that can be put to good use by others. Toys, kitchenware, small appliances that still work but you may have updated can all be donated and reused by someone else.

5. Use washable kitchen towels - when wiping the counters and table tops use kitchen cloths - not paper towels. There will be times when you need a paper towel but with a conscious effort you can cut the use of paper towels by 50%!

6. Compost - yes, most of those table scraps can be used in your flower beds or kitchen garden instead of added to the landfill. You will save money on store bought compost and have a nutrient rich alternative for your gardens.

7. Recycle - if you don't have a recycle spot it is as easy as setting up a plastic bin or a heavy cardboard box. Let the family know what goes where - plastic, glass and/or paper.  Some companies will pick up all items together and separate after pick up. Find out what services you have in your area.

8. Light bulbs - replace your light bulbs as they burn out with compact florescent. They will last longer & use less energy!

9. Re-purpose/Re-define - No longer use that dining room - take your table and re-purpose it into a family desk or sell it and re-define the space into a family game room.  Look at your home and figure out how to get the most use out of each room so that it works for your lifestyle today.

10. Adjust - by adjusting your thermostat by 2 degrees you will save a lot of money on your energy bill. Turning a fan on when a room is in use will keep things comfortable and still give your electric bill a break.


These are a few tips we try to incorporate in our home - baby steps by each person will make a huge impact on our earth!