Your Home Connection

Thursday's Go Green tip...

2009-06-11T20:05:00.005-04:00

Tonight I was thinking about more ways I can go green and I decided that I really want to share those tips with you, so I've decided to change Your Home Connection to be a "Green" tips blog...and for a new green tip, I wanted to talk about Water Conservation...or maybe I should say Dual Flush Water Conservation.

Have you heard of this neat little gadget? You attach it to your standard toilet and you save water and money. You are basically turning your toilet into a dual flush toilet...can it really be that simple? It sure can...All you need are a few measurements from your standard toilet and if you can change a flush valve, you can install a dual flush conversion kit...and trust me, installing a flush valve is no big deal, so you got it made.

I think this little kit can also help save our landfills. I know changing toilets to dual flush toilets is better for the Earth, but what happens to the old toilets? With this little kit, I we aren't throwing away near the amount of 'trash'.

So what do you think? Would you try the Dual Flush Water Conservation Kit?

On A Break

2009-06-06T13:36:00.003-04:00

I know I just started this blog and all ready I'm taking a break. Things have come up and life has happened, so I decided to take a break from most of my blogs...

The only blog I will be concentrating on is Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen and would love for you to join me over at that blog...

Hugs...

Cooking 101

2009-04-28T18:18:00.003-04:00

The weather has been so hot around here the last few days that it has made me not want to cook...okay, for those of you who know me, you know I don't like to cook even in perfect weather...but it was a good lead in to my topic...Cooking 101 - Salads...

I remember when a salad use to be just a bowl of lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, and dressing...boy have they come a long way baby!

In honor of the heat, I thought I would share some simple salad recipes:

Strawberry-Spinach Salad with Champagne Dressing

3 TBL brut champagne, champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar
1 TBL Strawberry spreadable fruit
1 tsp vegetable oil
5 cups rinsed baby spinach
2 cups strawberries, halved and hulled
1/4 sliced unsalted, dry-roasted almonds

Dressing:

Mix first 3 ingredients in a jar (or other container that has a lid so you can shake the dressing up). After you shake the dressing, put it in the fridge for later when you serve the salad.

Salad:

Place baby spinach in bowls (tear the spinach if you want smaller pieces). Top the spinach with strawberries and pour dressing over salad. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with almonds. Enjoy!

Layered Orange Treat Salad

2 (3 oz) pkg orange or orange-pineapple Jell-O
2 Cups boiling water
1 pint orange sherbet
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained and juice reserved

Dissolve 1 package Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water. Blend in sherbet. Pour into 1 1/2 quart mold. Freeze until firm. Dissolve remaining Jell-O in remaining boiling water. Combine reserved juice and enough cold water to make 1 cup. Add to Jell-O. Stir. Mix in mandarin oranges. Pour over frozen layer. Chill until firm or for at least 30 minutes. Unmold. Serves 8-10...

Enjoy!

Gardening 101

2009-04-27T18:08:00.003-04:00

I've recently started getting my gardens ready and am learning new things as I go. I not only wanted to have a vegetable garden and a flower garden, but I also wanted to plant some floral bushes...I love Lilacs so I have planted a couple of those, but I also wanted some 'theme' gardens...so off to do my research...

I love Butterflies, so I found information on what plants attract butterflies and just in case you want to attract some butterflies, I wanted to share my list of plants with you...

Here are the top 10 plants that will attract butterflies to your garden:

Butterfly Bush (this is the best butterfly attracting plant you can get)
Butterfly Weed
Coreopsis
Hollyhock
Loosestrife
New England Asters
Phlox
Purple Coneflower
Verbena
Yarrow

Something else you can do to attract butterflies is to put a butterfly house in your garden. Mount it on a nearby tree or post.

Take a terra cotta dish and fill it with brown gravel and place it near your flowers. Male butterflies love to primp on rocks and gravel...

Click here to learn a little more about how to get butterflies to your garden

Living Green 101

2009-04-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Do you ever think about making the choice to Live Green? Or did you just start doing it without thinking twice?

For me, I had to think about. I was 'trained' to do things a certain way and they weren't always green ways of doing things.

So I thought I would take a few of the different areas that you might be easy to 'think' about or even do without much thinking at all.

Harness that Energy Power:

Do you ever think about how much energy it takes to get through a day? Lights, computers, t.v., radios, DVD's, fans, air conditioners, heaters, electric garage doors, pole lights, stop lights, microwave clocks, cordless phone chargers, cell phone chargers, printers, faxes, copiers, and there are so many other things that uses electricity just in a day.

So what can you? Be smart about the energy you use:

Purchase only CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs)
Set your thermostat at 65' in the winter and 78' in the summer

So what can your choices really do?

If you choose CFLs then you are helping to save about 300 lbs of carbon dioxide a year because CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb.
If every home in the United States used just one CFL bulb, we could prevent greenhouse gases equal to the emissions of almost 800,000 cars.
By turning your thermostat down by just a couple degrees in the winter and/or up a couple of degrees in the summer you can save over 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Purchasing a programmable thermostat and programing it to turn off when you are aren't at home can save you about $100 a year in electricity.

So look at what this one choice can save you...Think about it and share it...Make your choices count...Hugs...

Crafting 101

2009-04-23T18:23:00.002-04:00

I thought I would post some easy crafts that would also make nice Mother's Day gifts. So for each week until Mother's Day, I will be posting a new craft just for Moms...

Today I wanted to start with Bath Cookies...(why do the same old bath salts and bath fizzies when you can make cookies)

What you need:

2 cups of Sea salt or rock salt
1/2 cup Baking soda
1/2 cup Cornstarch
2 tbs of Almond oil
1 tsp Vitamin E oil
1-2 eggs
6 drops Essential oil

Cookie cutters

What you need to do:

Preheat oven to 350'. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Using a rolling pin, smooth out the cookie mix and use cookie cutters to make cookie shapes. You can also roll small balls in your hand and make plain old round cookies.

Bake about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.

Makes 10-12 cookies depending on size.

How to use:

Drop 1 to 2 in a warm bath (it works great if you put them in while the water is running into the tub.)

Store them in an airtight container for up several months.

Stay tune for more fun gifts you can make for your mother...

Cooking 101

2009-04-21T00:00:00.002-04:00

Yesterday's post made me hungry for strawberries and blueberries, so today I thought I would include some recipes that had them as ingredients...I know eating them right off the plant is delicious, but just in case you want a change, here are some recipes...some simple salad recipes...Enjoy!

Strawberry Pineapple Salad

Ingredients

- 1 large box strawberry Jell-O
- 10 oz fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1 small can crushed pineapple (you can also use a fresh one)
- 1 pkg. Dream whip
- 3 oz. Cream cheese
- Nuts (optional)

Directions:

Mix the dream whip and cream cheese together. Then add the strawberries and pineapple. Mix well. Spoon into individual serving bowls. Mix Jell-O and 1 cup boiling water. Pour Jell-O on top of the mixture in the bowls. Chill until firm.

Serve with one strawberry on top of each serving and sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.

Blueberry Breakfast Salad

Ingredients

Mixed salad greens

4 cups fresh blueberries

4 cups mandarin oranges, drained

2 cups Granola

Blueberry Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Directions:

Gently toss the salad greens with 1-1/2 cups of the Blueberry Vinaigrette. Divide greens among eight plates. Place 1/2 cup each of the mandarin oranges and the blueberries on top of each salad greens. Divide the granola into 1/4 cup portions and sprinkle each salad. Drizzle remaining Vinaigrette over each plate. Serve immediately.

YIELD: 8 portions

Blueberry Vinaigrette: 1 cup olive oil, 1 cup frozen blueberries (thawed), 1 TBL Dijon mustard, 2 TBLS brown sugar, 2 tsp minced shallot, 3/4 tsp Kosher salt, 1/2 tsp ground white pepper, 1/2 tsp paprika

Mix everything in a food processor and process until smooth. Chill for 30 minutes before mixing with salad greens.

Gardening 101

2009-04-20T20:35:00.006-04:00

Have you seen the price of blueberries and strawberries? Wow! Problem is...I love both of these fruit so since I'm really getting into expanding my gardening abilities this year, I thought I would do a little research and see just how difficult it might be to grow them in containers...and you know what...I think I can do this...And just in case you think you might want to try it, here's some tips:

Blueberries:

First, you need to know what variety of blueberry is best for a container. A dwarf blueberry plant, such as Tophat, grows very well in containers. The Tophat has small, sweet berries that are similar to a wild blueberry.

It will grow to be about 24 inches tall and will fill most containers.

Next, you have to choose the correct container. Make sure the container is at least 24 inches wide and 16 inches or more deep. This will be a good size container for permanent growth. A larger container, such as a whiskey barrel, will allow your Tophat to grow larger and give more fruit.

So what type of soil do you need? 1 part topsoil and 1 part sphagnum peat moss will give your blueberries the best start.

You will want to make sure you give your soil a good moistening before planting. Place your plant in the middle of the container and about 2 inches deep in the soil. Blueberries are an acid-loving plant, so make sure you get a time-release fertilizer. A 4-inch layer of mulch is also something that will help your blueberries grow, just make sure that you keep the mulch away from the plant itself. This will encourage new canes to develop.

You want to keep the soil moist and the mulch will help do that. Just make sure you don't overdo it, you won't want the soil to be too wet. Place your plant in the sun and that is it!

All you have to do now is pick the blueberries and enjoy them!

Strawberries:

You want to make sure your container allows your soil to drain. So hanging baskets and any other container that has a hole in the bottom for drainage will work. If your container comes with a saucer, you will want to make sure that your container doesn't sit directly on the saucer. This can cause too much moister on the roots of your plants.

Your strawberry plant will need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day. If you don't have this much actual sunlight, then you might want to check on using a plant light.

Your strawberries need a well-drained soil that contains organic matter. Mixing a 5-10-5 fertilizer or 21-0-0 ammonium sulfate into the soil before planting will give your strawberries a great start. Just make sure to follow the directions on your fertilizer so you know how much to use based on the size of the container.

Basically, as long as the roots of your strawberry plants are covered, you should be okay. If you are planting more than one plant, you will need to make sure the plants are at least 2 feet apart, so planting one plant per container might work best.

Just like blueberries, you will want to water your plants only enough to keep the soil moist. Good drainage is best for your plants.

Believe it or not, being in the dark is just as important to your strawberry plants as having sunlight. So make sure your plants are in the dark from sunset to sunrise.

Enjoy! I know I will...

Another Avenue to Take...

2009-04-19T16:07:00.002-04:00

This post won't be about Gardening 101, Cooking 101, Crafting 101 or Living Green 101...instead it is going to be about something new and exciting that I have recently learned about...I'll get back to the above items tomorrow so I hope to see you then...grin...

As you know, I have some links and adsense, etc on this blog. I've started doing this because of the economy. With finances being tight, I started learning about some interesting ways to make money on the internet...I write for eHow and Bukisa and have earned some passive income from them both. I'm not rich (yet), but every little bit helps and the money grows each month.

That brings me to the reason for this post - Blogsvertise

This is something I learned about from IcyCucky on her blog Wandering Thoughts

I looked over the site and I find it interesting and I love a challenge, so I think Blogsvertise and I will make a great match...but I guess time will tell...either way, I can't wait to start my adventure and I hope you come along for the ride...

Hugs...

Living Green 101

2009-04-16T19:54:00.003-04:00

Okay, I came across something a little unusual today....Soap nuts...

Have you heard of these? I'm amazed and a little curious...what about you...would you use them?

I think I would...I like using vinegar in my laundry to make it softer and tomato paste as a facial mask is also something I like to do, so why not use something called soap nuts to do my laundry...

I'm going to have to do a little more research before actually trying these, but wouldn't it be fun to go to work and someone ask how you got your shirt so clean and you say...with soap nuts...grin...

Lilfix

Crafting 101

2009-04-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

Do you have scrap fabric sitting in a drawer, taking up space? Do you have buttons or soda pop lids that you would like to do something with? Do you like magnets? Who doesn't...they make great little gifts...

Here's a couple ideas:

Take some quilted batting and cut it the same size as a button. Cut the fabric a little larger so that it will wrap around the button and the batting and glue the fabric at the back. Take a magnet and glue it over the fabric you just glued together and you have a one of a kind magnet for your fridge or your child's locker at school...

For the soda pop lids you would do the same thing only you will probably want to fill the inside of the lid with batting to make it easier to attach the magnet to that side.

For more unique ideas:

If you have someone in the family who enjoys sewing, why not wrap that material around a large empty thread spool, place the magnet on the back of the spool where your fabric meets so you can cover up the seam.

Take a thimble and put a magnet on it...or take a piece of fabric and wrap it around a small piece of cardboard. Take a sewing needle and put it through the fabric and back out again...glue a magnet on the back. It will look like a small sewing project...don't forget to put a small piece of thread through the eye of the needle and knot it, so that it really looks authentic...

Find a small jewelry gift box, if it has a bottom and a lid, glue the lid to the bottom of the box on an angle of sorts...glue some cotton to the bottom of the box...get those little wooden hearts and paint them and write "I Love You, Mom" or something that goes along with who you are giving the magnet to...glue the wooden hear in the box on the cotton and then put a magnet on the back of the lid...now every time they see the gift box, they will think of you....

Dog lovers, cat lovers, gardeners...find material that matches their likes and wrap some batting and material around:

buttons
milk jug lids
icing tub lids (for a bigger magnet)
medicine bottles (if you are giving this to a gardener, wrap the material around it and then purchase some of those small decorative flowers and put them inside so it looks like a vase...put a magnet on the back and they will always have flowers blooming)

A nature lover...find some very pretty rocks (small ones), clean them up...and put a magnet on the back...If you child has quit playing with Barbies...then why not find one of her (or Ken's) old hiking boot and put a magnet on the back of it...

Do you have pieces parts from an old game...checkers or chess...why not cut a piece of cardboard out...put some checkered material on the cardboard and glue a few checkers on your 'board'...magnet on the back..there ya go...

Small toys can be fun to use also...those little yellow ducky bath toys...put a magnet on the bottom of them and put them on the fridge if you have a duck hunter in the family...a fun twist to their sport...

Think outside the box...these little magnets can compliment other bigger gifts that you have gotten...or they can be neat little gifts to hand just to say, "thanks" or "I love you"...or just for fun...

Cooking 101

2009-04-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

Brownies! I love them! So I thought I would share a neat little recipe that is great for a young person's birthday party.

Brownie Cones

1 package brownie mix
24 ice cream cups
1 (16 oz) tub frosting, any flavor
Colored sprinkles or candies, optional

Prepare brownies per package directions. Spoon the batter into each ice cream cup. Fill them half full. Place the cups in in muffin tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make sure the Brownie Cones cool completely. Decorate each brownie cone with frosting and sprinkles. Enjoy!

Gardening 101

2009-04-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

I am in the process of getting my vegetable garden ready for planting and my flower beds cleaned up from all the leaves that have dropped from the trees. This got me thinking about the products that we put on our plants to keep the disease free, etc. Those chemicals have to stay on the produce which means we have to be eating those chemicals...so what is the difference between buying produce with chemicals on them at the store and growing produce with chemicals on them? Other than it costs less to grow them...I can't think of anything else...so I was on a search for chemical free vegetables to grow and what I found, I will be sharing with you each week...Here's the first installment...

Do you have a mole problem? They can destroy a yard by making tunnels and they can damage plant roots. Here is a very simple way to take care of your mole problem:

1 Cup warm water, divided in half
4 Tablespoons dishwashing liquid
Blender
3 ounces Castor oil
1 quart glass jar with lid (for storage)
Rubber spatula

You need to mix half of the water and all the dishwashing liquid in the blender. Blend for a few seconds. Keeping the blender going, you will want to pour the Castor oil into the blender. Blend for 30 seconds. Make sure it is blended well.

Pour this mixture into the glass jar. Pour the leftover water into the blender. Use the spatula to scrape the sides of the blender and blend again. After about 30 seconds, stop the blender and pour this into the jar with the other mix.

To use:

Mix 2 Tablespoons in a gallon of warm water. Find the mole tunnels, and poke a hole in the top of it with a stick. Pour about a cup of the mixture in the hole and then stomp on the hole to close it up.

Moles hate the smell of Castor oil, so they will be on their way to another lawn...and leaving yours alone.

Although, moles don't eat your plants, their digging can damage the roots which does harm your plants. If you have moles...then you have bugs. This is what the moles are after, so you want to keep the bugs to minimum also.

You can try a couple of these things:

Place an old sheet or a piece of plastic or even an old newspaper underneath your plants and gently shake the plants. When the beetles fall off, you can ball up the plastic, newspaper, etc. and toss them both away.
Pick beetles off of your plants and drop them in a jar with soapy water...

Good luck with your gardens...

And we can't forget your houseplants. Why not try a more natural fertilizer to keep them healthy...

Living Green 101

2009-04-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

There are some very simple things you can do to reduce the amount of trash you throw away each day/week/month/year.

Using cloth kitchen towels and napkins instead of paper towels and napkins will help reduce the amount of trash more than you might think. Do a little experiment. Every time you use a paper napkin and/or towel, put it in a separate trash bag and at the end of the week look to see how many you have used. You might be surprised at the number of paper towels in your bag. Cloth can be washed and reused over and over again.

Store leftovers in plastic containers like Tupperware® that have lids so you don’t have to use aluminum foil or plastic wrap to cover the leftovers.

Get your family off the junk mail merry-go-round (find your post about this on Brenda’s Page)

Pay your bills online. Most companies offer email billing so you won’t get a paper copy in the mail. Sign up for online newspapers and magazine subscriptions…I mean, honestly, we both know those magazines are just going to sit in a pile never to be looked at again…and all those recipes, etc that you want will never be made. So why not get your subscriptions online…this way if there is a recipe you want to try, you can copy and paste it into your recipe word file on your computer…and pull it up when you are ready to use it and this way you don’t have to sort through all those piles of torn out recipes.

Make your own coffee at home and get a travel mug to take with you in the mornings. Not only will you be saving the environment by not getting those Styrofoam coffee cups, but you will be saving gas by not traveling to the coffee shop and time. Coffee makers these days are equipped with timers so you can get it ready the night before and then you can wake up to a fresh brewing cup of coffee.

If you just have to have a Starbucks or Duncan Donuts coffee and you don’t want to make it at home, still purchase the travel mug…some stores will give you a discount for using your own mug and not their cups. Ask your local coffee shop if they do this.

Canvas bags! I know you’ve heard this one over and over again. And if you are like me, you tend to forget them in the car when you do go inside the store…so try this little trick…When you are going grocery shopping try putting your shopping list inside the canvas bags, this way you have to remember the bag because you need your list.

Or keep one bag up front with you…put your pocket book inside it, so when you go to get out of the car you will remember it and you will remember to grab your other ones.

Buying rechargeable batteries can be a little costly upfront, but think about the money you will save in the long run. If you have a child who plays video games all the time, they can go through a lot of batteries. So with a battery charger, you can charge 2 batteries while they are using the other two and switch off. No more having to make a stop for batteries to keep the kids happy.

Just like the coffee, stop buying bottled water. They make some great filtering systems now and they make some very cute and reasonable looking reusable water bottles…you can refill your reusable bottle over and over again…and by using the water filtering system, you will save a lot of money.

Does your company waste a lot of paper because they can only use one side? Why not bring it home for your kids to draw on. And if you don’t have any young children at home, why not donate it to a daycare (as long as the information on the other side isn’t anything that would violate someone’s privacy, etc.)…Or cut the paper in half and use it for messages or scrap paper, etc in the office.

Do you know what the biggest litter problem in the world is? Plastic grocery bags…so don’t use them!

Crafting 101

2009-04-08T19:45:00.003-04:00

With Easter so close, I thought I would share some different ideas on decorating Easter eggs...

Kool-aid dye - Mix the whole package of Kool-aid with a little water - the more water you use, the lighter the color will be. Place the hard boiled egg in the liquid, leave in for while you do something else (this does take a little longer than the regular dying eggs). Get the eggs out of the mix and let them dry.
After you have hard boiled the eggs, take tissue paper (all different colors) and tear into small pieces. Wet an area on the egg and put the tissue paper over the water. Continue all over the egg until the egg is covered completely. Let dry and then pull the tissue paper off and you will see a pattern and colors.
If you mix 1 teaspoon coloring, 1 Tablespoon vinegar, 1 cup of water and 1 Tablespoon salad oil. When you dye your eggs in this mix you will have a marbled colored egg.
Put stickers on the egg and dye them...then remove the stickers once the color has dried.

Happy Easter!!

Cooking 101

2009-04-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Cooking with kids can be a lot of fun, entertaining and quite a learning experience (for parent and child...grin)

Finding easy recipes that your child can do with you can be difficult, but here is an easy and tasty meal that I think you both will love:

Pepperoni Pasta

2 1/2 cups dry pasta, of your choice (Penne is a good pasta for this recipe)
1 TBL oil
6 oz pepperoni slices
1 small (or half a large) red onion, sliced
3 TBL green pesto
2/3 cup heavy cream
8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 oz fresh chives
salt

Mix the pesto sauce and cream together in a small bowl, and set aside. Cook pasta per package directions. While pasta is cooking, gently fry the pepperoni slices and onion slices together until the onion is soft in the oil. Pour pesto sauce into frying pan and stir. Add the cherry tomato halves to frying pan and using kitchen scissors snip the chives over the tomato/pepperoni mixture. Stir. Drain pasta and put pasta into a large serving bowl. Pour frying pan mixture over pasta and mix well to make sure pasta is covered. Serve with bread sticks and enjoy!

Gardening 101

2009-04-07T21:03:00.000-04:00

There’s a Garden in My Shoe!

You don’t need a backyard to have a garden. Most containers that hold soil will work. You can grow tomatoes in a wooden crate, or beans in a basket. Have you ever thought about growing radishes in one of your dad’s old boots? Be creative. Look around your house for containers that are interesting and unusual. Don’t forget to ask your parents if you can use the container you find.

The size container you use will vary, depending on the type and number of plants you want. You will need about twelve inches of soil for deep-rooted plants like tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. Ten inches of soil is good for beans and cucumbers. Beets, onions and lettuce need only six to seven inches of soil for maximum growth.

Preparing Your Container

Your container will need to be given a good bath to keep your plants healthy. This would
be good time to ask your parents for some help. Putting a tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of warm soapy water will clean your containers. Be very careful. Bleach can ruin your clothes and it is very dangerous if it gets in your eyes or mouth. After you and your parents have cleaned the container, you will need to add drainage holes. Drainage holes let water drain out, preventing the roots of your plants from rotting. Most flower pots you buy, in a store, already have drainage holes.

If you are using a “homemade” container, you will need to use a plastic liner. Liners keep containers from being ruined. You can use anything from plastic trash bags to margarine bowls. The liner will need to cover the entire inside of your container. Poke holes in the liner at your drainage holes.

Next, you need to fill the bottom of your container with a few extra items. This will help the water drain away from the roots of your plants. You can use plain, old gravel, but why not bring in some other recycling ideas? You can use bottle caps, foam packing peanuts or what about slightly crushed soda cans? Cover the bottom two inches of your container, being careful not to block your drainage holes.

Filling Your Container

Your soil needs to be free of germs and weeds; hold moisture and nutrients, drain well and be lightweight. You can buy “synthetic soils” anywhere gardening supplies are sold. These are soils that are made primarily with peat moss, which encourages plant roots to stretch and
grow. Some soils are specially designed for containers and have a slow-release fertilizer and a wetting agent in them. A slow-release fertilizer feeds a plant over a period of time, and a wetting
agent helps hold water in the soil. Soil from your yard is not ideal for container gardening. It tends to be heavy which will prevent your plant’s roots from growing strong.

Fill your container with soil, leaving about two inches at the top. If you are using terra-cotta pots, you will want to soak them in water before putting in your soil. Terra-cotta absorbs water. Soaking them will prevent them from taking water away from your newly planted vegetables.

Cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and onions are easy to grow and do well in containers. Pole beans and cucumbers also do very well in containers, but they need some kind of trellis for their vines to grow on. You can find dwarf types of most vegetables, making it even easier to grow a container garden.

Planting Seeds in Your Containers

If you choose to plant from seeds, you will need to plant more seeds than needed in
each container. Seldom do all the seeds grow. Once seeds have sprouted and their leaves are touching other plants, you can thin them out by moving some of the plants to another
container. Be gentle while moving these tender young plants. You don’t want to damage them.
The seed packet will give you information on when to expect your plants to sprout or "germinate.”

You can also purchase “nursery grown transplants.” These are plants a nursery has
planted from seed. When the plants are about six inches tall, the nurseries put them out for you
to buy. Once home, remove them from their plastic container and “transplant” them into your
container. Transplanting means, you dig a hole in your soil and place the plant from the nursery
into that hole. Make sure you pat the soil firmly around the plant and water immediately. It’s best to transplant in the evening or on a cloudy day, that way the sun won’t strain the newly moved plant. Moving the plants to bigger containers allow the roots to grow larger, which means more vegetables for you and your family.

Caring for Your Container Garden

Watering and fertilizing is very important to your plants. If your soil has none of the “extras” that we talked about earlier, then you can add them when you water. You can purchase a liquid fertilizer and follow the directions on mixing it with water. Avoid getting the leaves “foliage” wet. Use the fertilizer mixture each day, and use plain water once weekly. This is called “leaching.” It helps remove unused fertilizer to prevent build-ups in the soil, which can harm the plants. Use the liquid fertilizer only after the plants have germinated.

Natural sunlight is the best lighting for your plants. If you can, set your plants in front of a window that gets direct sunlight. Rotate your containers every couple of days, to provide even sunlight to all sides of your plants.

If you don’t have a window available, you can use artificial lighting. Ventilation is an important factor with this lighting. Your garden center should be able to recommend the right
artificial lighting for your specific needs.

Container gardening can be fun and easy as long as you follow the basic rules. So remember, the next time your mom wants to throw out your old shoes, stop her, clean them up,
fill them with soil and plant your garden.

Living Green 101

2009-04-02T00:00:00.001-04:00

Today I thought I would borrow a December, 2008 post from my original blog, Brenda's Page and discuss Shoes and what can be done with your old ones...

Nike has a program called ReUSE A SHOE. Once on the site, if you scroll down a little bit, you will see an old shoe with the words 'see it in action' above it...watch the slide show. I thought it was quite interesting what they use old shoes for now...it also amazes me that it took them this long to realize these uses, but at least they are trying now...

The second site is Run the Planet. This site gives you other links that you can go to and learn more about recycling old shoes...

SolesUnited takes old Crocs, recycles them and then donates them to people around the world...

Save up old boots, shoes, etc. and plant a garden in them...if you have young children, this is a fun thing for them to do...you can plant a vegetable garden or a flower garden...think about it...what child wouldn't love to tell their grandparents that they grew a tomato in daddy's old work boot...grin...

And of course you can always take your gently worn shoes to the Salvation Army stores, thrift stores, women's shelters, etc so that others in need will be able to use them...

Women's shelters are also a great place to get rid of your old cellphones...cellphones can call 911 even when they are not on any cell plan...so these phones are given to abused women in case the abuser comes around, etc. the women always have a way to call for help...

Remember...almost everything you have can be reused someway, somehow...just think outside the box...

Crafting 101

2009-04-01T00:00:00.005-04:00

This little craft is to help the birds in your neighborhood have a nice place to live.

A Homemade Birdhouse

What you will need:

1 coffee can with a snap on lid
Hammer
Scissors
1 large nail
ribbon (long enough to wrap around the can)
twigs the same length as your coffee can with one a little longer
rope or twine

What you need to do:

Cut about a 2 inch hole in the plastic coffee can lid close to one edge. (the size of the hole depends on the size of the coffee can and the size of the bird you are trying to house - the bigger the can, the bigger the hole - the bigger the bird)...Put the lid on the coffee can. Hot glue the twigs side-by-side and close together to the ribbon. Hot glue the ribbon around the coffee can...making sure the longer twig is next to the hole in the lid. Wrap the twine around the can a couple of times, so that it helps hold the twigs in place. Make the twine long enough so that you can hang it from a tree. Make sure you hand the 'nest' so that the longer piece of twig is on the bottom so that the bird has a perch to stand on when they are checking out their new home. Don't worry about putting anything on the inside, the birds will fill it up for their nest.

And don't forget the frogs/toads...you heard me...the toads will eat mosquitoes, slugs and other bugs. Why is this important, because they can keep the bugs away from your plants.

What you need:

1 or 2 Daylily plant(s)
1 (6 inch) clay pot

What you need to do:

Find a nice spot close to your garden and dig a small hole deep enough to plant the daylily plant(s) and the clay pot. Bury the clay pot on its side with a little more than half of the clay pot showing. Plant the daylily (one on each side if you got two) close to the opening (don't block the opening). Get a toad and show him his new home...

Have fun...

Cooking 101

2009-03-31T00:00:00.001-04:00

This kid friendly meal is a winner for the parents also...this makes for an easy meal for sleepovers and parties...Enjoy!

Cheeseburger Fries Casserole

1 pound frozen french fries (or one small bag)
1 pound hamburger meat (ground beef)
1 can Manwich
cheddar cheese, shredded

Bake fries in oven per directions on bag. Brown your hamburger meat in skillet, drain grease.When fries are cooked put into a 9 x 13" casserole dish. Spoon the browned hamburger meat on top of fries. Add Manwich (acts as your ketchup)to desired amount on top. Add cheese as the final topping.

Bake in oven at 350F degrees for 30 minutes or until piping hot and ready to eat.

This simple meal deserves a simple dessert, so why not make Spoon Cake and your family will love you for it.

Gardening 101

2009-03-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

This week we will be learning how to grow plants from seeds. There are a lot of reasons to start your garden from seeds. Buying seed packets can be a lot cheaper than buying the plant itself. You can not only get these seeds started inside, but if you use containers, you can continue to grow them inside even in the winter.

So what do you need:

Seed packets (choose small versions of plants if you are doing this inside or if you have a very small area to plant in, such as: cherry tomatoes instead of the bigger versions)

Containers to plant in (egg cartons, milk cartons, yogurt cups, butter bowls, etc)

Potting soil

What to do:

Put the potting soil in your container. Using your finger, make a little hole and plant one seed in each hole. Make sure you put your container in a sunny spot in your house (a window sill works very well for this)...if you don't have any windows that let in a lot of sun, then you can purchase "grow lights" or "grow light systems" that you can use as artificial sun.

You can stick the seed packet over an ice cream stick and keep this with the containers that you have planted the seeds in. This way you will know what is coming up and you will have the further directions if you need them.

You need to keep the soil moist (but don't over water, when your seeds/small plants are in these smaller containers you can use a spray bottle and spray water over your plants...this will be like a little indoor rain for your starter plants).

It won't be long and your plants will start to sprout. They are officially called "seedlings" when you have a green plant with two leaves.

If you are going to put these plants in your outside garden then you will want to get your plants use to the cooler weather of the outdoors. When it gets a little warmer out during the day, you can put your plants outside to get them use to this outdoor weather but make sure you bring them inside at night so the frost doesn't get them. After the last frost (check with your local greenhouse to find out when that might be), then you are ready to plant your plants outside.

This is where you will plant your new seedlings in your little raised garden that you created last week. Follow the directions on the seed packet as to how to plant your new plants.

If you are going to keep your new plants inside or on your back porch, you will need to 'transplant' your seedlings into larger pots. Put potting soil in your larger pots, poke a hole big enough for your new seedling. Carefully remove your seedlings for their small pots (ask for your parents help). Put your seedling in its new pot and water.

How do you know when you should water your young plants? Stick your finger down in the dirt, the dirt should be moist up to your large knuckle on your pointer finger (where your finger bends) .

If your plants are starting to look like they need a quick pick-me-up, ask your parents to save their coffee grounds. Coffee grounds are really good for your plants.

With a little care, it won't be long now and you will be enjoying your home-grown garden vegetables.

Living Green 101

2009-03-26T00:00:00.004-04:00

Living Green is starting to become important to a lot of people. Some don't know where to start, others have been doing it forever...

Here at Living Green 101, I'm going to give some simple tips to get people started and hopefully throw in one or two tips that will help even those of you who have been doing this for a little while.

Living Green 101 -

This little idea could also be a craft idea, but I'm putting it here because it reuses items...which is an important form of recycling...

What you need:

Hammer
1 big nail
1 small nail
1 clear (20 oz) plastic bottle with screw lid (empty and washed out)
2 small twigs (make the twigs as long as the bottle)
1 piece of wire (about 1 ft long)
birdseed

Take the hammer and big nail and punch 4 holes about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the bottle. You want two holes across from each other and the other two holes up a little higher and across from each other.

Push one of the twig through the bottom holes so that one end of the twig is sticking out of each side of the bottle. Push the other twig through the other two holes...again, so that you have twig sticking out of each side. These 4 "perches" will be for the birds to stand on when they eat.

Now punch 4 more holes further up on the bottle. Not too far up because you want the birds to be able to reach the holes while standing on the perches.

Now take the small nail and punch 2 small holes just below the lid. Fill the bird feeder with the bird seed (leave about a 1 to 2 inch empty space at the top of the bottle.

Feed each end of the wire through the hole, so that the ends of the wire are inside the bottle. Twist the two ends together, so that the ends won't slip out of their holes. Put the lid on your bird feeder and hang from a tree close to a window so that you can watch the birds eat.

Lilfix

Crafting 101

2009-03-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

Some of the best crafts are the easiest crafts and this craft just proves that point...

Tennie Ties

shoelaces (plain white ones)
DecoArt So Soft fabric paint
pencil & tape
permanent markers

Now decorate your shoelaces however you want...to match your mood, your outfit, your favorite team...or just go crazy and see what happens....

The DecoArt fabric paint can be painted on (in a design of your choice) or lay down some wax paper and drizzle the paint over the laces...you can use one color or a couple colors.

Wrap the laces around the pencil (from one end to the other) and then you use the permanent markers to "paint" lines from tip to tip on the laces.

Make animal prints or dots or whatever else your imagination can come up with. You can have laces for every day of the week, holidays and ones that fit your mood (no matter what that might be)...

Have fun!

Lilfix

Cooking 101

2009-03-24T19:58:00.003-04:00

I know you might be thinking, "Why does she make everything 101?" For this blog, I am going to do this to keep track of everything. I have another blog and I have more labels then I can remember, so for this blog, I'm going to try and be a little more organized...That is something else I could add to my list of things I want to do/be this year...more organized...nah...I'll save something for 2010...grin...

Okay, so Cooking 101...I hate this question: "what's for dinner?"..so I am planning on posting some very simple, throw together recipes that you can make in now time at all with very little effort.

Ranch-Mashed Potatoes

4 cups prepared, unsalted mashed potatoes (I've started using Ore-Ida Steam n' Mash potatoes...microwave and your done)
1 (1 oz) package of ranch-style dressing mix
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup half-and-half cream

Combine all ingredients in saucepan and heat on low until potatoes heat thoroughly.

*If you use the Ore-Ida Steam n' Mash potatoes, all you need to do is microwave the potatoes per package directions, pour into a bowl once cooked, add the rest of the ingredients and mix with an electric mixer...serve

Dijon Pork Chops

6 loin pork chops
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

Place the pork chops in a greased Pyrex baking dish. Mix sugar and mustard well. Spoon over chops and bake, covered at 350' for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake about 10 minutes longer or until brown.

*I do this up the night before and have my husband put it in the oven when he gets home because he gets home about an hour before me. So when I get home, dinner is ready...

Lemon Cheesecake

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (3.4 oz) package instant lemon pudding mix
1 graham cracker pie crust

Beat cream cheese until creamy. Mix the pudding per directions, add to the cream cheese mixture and mix. Pour into pie crust and chill 2-4 hours (overnight)

Okay, there you have it...the very first Cooking 101...enjoy!

Lilfix

Gardening 101

2009-03-23T20:44:00.005-04:00

I decided to teach some children on my complex about gardening, so I went to the library and found some gardening books, so that I could learn all that I could from a child's level...and I found this wonderful little book: Junior Garden Book

Did you know that the word Garden means "A guarded area" (a private place). I thought about this for a moment and if you think about it, most people who have flower gardens, do have areas that are off to itself, where they can sit and relax and enjoy some privacy...Gardeners are always wanting their gardens to look special and that is what I hope for these young people on my property.

So my first job was to figure out a way to make their garden 'special' and I found a neat little idea in this book...and the best thing is...I even got to teach them a little recycling.

Here's what you need:

2-litter plastic soda pop bottles (about 3 for every 1 foot of flower bed)
Garden hose (for watering)
Shovel (for digging)
Gloves (for keeping your hands clean)
Potting soil or compost
Store brand (Kool-aid) drink mix in whatever flavor (colors) you want
Flower/vegetable plants

So how does your garden grow:

Figure out how big you want your garden, so you will know how many bottles you need (you can ask friends and family to save their bottles, so you don't have to drink ALL that soda all by yourself)
Using the shovel, you will want to dig a ditch 4 inches deep and wide enough that the bottles will set in your ditch. Make sure you put the dirt from the ditches to the inside of your garden. You don't want to move that dirt twice!
Put some of the drink mix inside each bottle and fill with water. Make as many colors as you want and then put the bottles inside the ditch in whatever color order you want.
Add some potting soil or compost to the dirt on the inside of your garden (where you tossed the dirt from your ditches).
Using the shovel, mix the potting soil and dirt together (if you really want to have fun, get in there and mix the potting soil and dirt with your hands - ask your parents first to make sure this is okay with them)
Plant your seeds and/or plants and then water them. You will want to give them a good soaking (but don't drown them)
Enjoy your flowers and/or plants

So what do you think? Pretty neat little idea...I would love to hear your ideas on raised gardens and/or container gardening...

Here's hoping your guarded area gives you the joy and privacy you want...

Lilfix

Your Home Connection

2009-03-21T16:41:00.008-04:00

Welcome to Your Home Connection. I hope you come along and share my journey through many different (old & new) things in life.

I've done very little gardening, but I will be attempting to do a little gardening with children this year...that can be a totally different experience...help me! grin...

I cook very little, but I will be sharing my recipes (the ones that survive the taste test)...

I love to craft, but never have time. I'm hoping this blog will help me make time to do crafts, so I can share them. I'm planning on doing a "Homemade" Christmas so I need to start now to make sure those gifts can get made.

And I'm still fairly new to Living Green, but am trying my hand at helping Mother Earth and I hope I can show you some simple things you can do everyday to help her also...and I would love for you to share any tips you have with me.

And last but not least, I am trying to save my family some money. This might be the toughest of all. These days saving money is a priority for so many people but it seems to be the hardest thing we are all doing. I hope I can share some money saving tips

I want to share these experiences with you, in the hopes that they help you share money for your family.

If you have anything you want to share, ask, brag about or just plain want to say "hi"...please do so...and if you want to share this blog with others...heck, I'm okay with that also...

So again, Welcome and I hope you will always feel Your Home Connection...

Lilfix