Soup Can Lanterns

     My newest addiction is Pinterest. I have found so many great ideas on that network that I can't stop searching for DIY projects that I can use from simple objects in my home. I love adding things to our backyard the most. We seem to be there a lot, so I want it comfortable. About a year ago, a friend of my mother's gave me a fantastic idea for an old patio umbrella frame. It was to plant a vine and make a natural canopy from it. Still having trouble getting the vine growing good, so I decided to move on to the lighting for it in the meantime.
     Since we are a family of five, we go through lots of food. I recycle pretty much everything unless I can find another use for it. Again, I was searching and found another great idea, soup can lanterns. I read through many of the pics and gathered my info on how to make them and how I was going to use them on the umbrella.

 

     It was a simple project to make. The soups cans were first cleaned.  I then filled them about 3/4 of the way with water and froze them standing up. This is so that when you are hammering in your design the can doesn't crush with the pressure. After frozen you may notice the bottom swells. You can hammer that easily back into place. I then hammered my design into the can, remembering to place holes at the top of the can to hang them. Next step was to paint them. The vine on the umbrella is a purple Passion Fruit, so I went with a light green and yellow spray paint to compliment the purple. I have eight cans in two sizes, so I split the colors evenly. I used a piece of wire clothes hanger to make the handle for the lantern. I also painted a design on the outside so they are more attractive during the day too. Now it is ready for the tea-light candles. The best thing about the whole project was that I only had to buy the candles. Love that! Now my umbrella lighting is complete. The rest of the umbrella depends on Mother Nature. Hopefully as the new season arrives it will explode with growth. Have a healthy day!

Dirty Little Rat

     A few weeks ago I told you about my little garden pest. Well, here we are still battling this little pesky critter. Up until now I have just been using plain old traps and bait to try and catch him. I didn't plan on injuring the poor little animal, I just wanted him gone. Well....the tide has turned. Now, sad to say, I want him caput! You are probably wondering why all of a sudden would I want to intentionally harm this little guy. Well, here it goes. I was planting new seeds in the seed pots that I have. I planted a good amount of different vegetables, somewhere around 30 pots. It was a bust ass type of day in which I got so many things accomplished. Everything was great and I was excited to have more veggies growing. Pffttt, yeah right! Not if he could help it. The next morning as I was having my coffee, my hubby screams out. I go outside to see what was going on. He walks up to me and says, "I have bad news". Well, that is never good. I asked him about what and he said the seeds. Huh? How could he possibly have bad news about seeds. Well, he did. Low and behold the little pesky critter had dug out the newly planted seeds and ate them. There were empty seeds everywhere. I turned furious immediately. I know you think, why so angry. I guess you could say that at that moment is when my patience in dealing with this little bugger had run dry. I had no more patience available. He has not only eaten some of my plants and harvests, but now my seeds too! Is he insane, does he not know who he is dealing with here. That is MY food. I understand the little guy is hungry too but enough is enough. I also have a family to feed and I am not going hungry because of a little rodent. Now instead of the snapping type of trap we also bought the sticky traps. They are baited with a delicious tomato, so his last meal will be great! Sorry little man but I just can't take this anymore. I know you will understand, or not! Either way I don't care! I love my veggies too and you can't have anymore. Let's just hope the traps work....they haven't so far. He is so lucky that someone is on his side. I just don't know how long before his luck runs out.

Beer Bottle Torches

     A few weeks ago, I saw another great idea on Pinterest. Of course, I had to tweak it a little to our liking. What I saw was a bunch of old wine bottles used as outdoor candles/torches, but we prefer beer so....we decided to change it up a bit. The original idea was for wine bottles hanging off of a fence. Instead we decided to take old candle stakes and place beer bottles in them. We already had a collection of beer bottles as decor in the kitchen, but I had a better idea for them now. As far as the wick is concerned, I decided to make my own. I used strands off an old mop head. I was going crazy in the house looking for something I could use. Sure enough, as I walk into the garage to ask hubby for string, there was my mop with an old head on it. We took rings of wire to make an end and we braided it the entire length (8 in.). Hubby punched a whole from the inside out of the bottle cap to make a tight fit and prevent slipping. We then filled the bottles about half full with oil and replaced the caps. Ready to light. Viola! Torches.
     I love the light it creates. It brings a soft lighting that is relaxing which is how we like to spend our evenings. I love to have all the natural elements in my yard. I have some more ideas for lighting, which will come later. Still works in progress. For now, I hope you enjoy my tweaked version of the outdoor lighting, on the beer side of things!

One mans trash....

      Everyone has heard the old adage, "One mans trash is another mans treasure". Well I tell you, I couldn't agree more. In the past week I have done nothing but find treasures here and there that others were wanting to give away. Sometimes I wonder why people throw out so many good items, but I guess they just don't have a need for them anymore. Whatever the reason, I would be happy to pick up someone's trash and reuse it for my own purpose.
     It all starts last Monday. We arrive to a customers house that is cleaning out her garage. In the pile of what seemed to be mostly garbage, we found a few good things.  The best find that day was, ready for this, a 98 year old Trombone. Be-au-ti-ful!!! Luckily, one of the boys is interested in playing it. Who knew! On Wednesday, I was on the way home from work with mom when I found a perfect book shelf. I have needed one for a long time, just never got around to getting one. Boy was I lucky again! Not only did it match my furniture, but it was also big enough for all the household books. It was in perfect condition (as far as I was concerned). I wonder why anyone would throw it away. No matter, it's mine now and it's a perfect addition to the house. This past weekend was also a benefit. I went away with the family to visit my father and low and behold he was getting rid of stuff too. Maybe it's the time of year for that, being a new year and all. So I was able to get a bunch of border bricks for my house. Dad no longer wished to have them and didn't want to throw them out. Lucky me again! We almost have enough now to finish our plant beds in the backyard. Yipee! Guess I may have to make another trip to his house. LOL Today was extra special with my find...or should I say someones trash. One of my moms customers was getting rid of some of her stuff to put into a garage sale. My aunt likes to have them, so we collect things for her on occasion to put in her sale. By going through the "stuff" today I was able to fill my collection of planters and pots for my garden. I also picked up some fencing and stakes. I think the best find was the rod iron stakes that she was getting rid of.  It seems to me that they were probably used for small tea light candle holders, but I had other ideas in mind. You never  know what you will find or what you can create with it.
     I have plans for those stakes. We have been wanting some lighting in the backyard without having to run electricity everywhere. Instead we have decided there are other ways. Not sure when I will finish this, but when I complete my project I will definitely share with you. For now, it's a secret. I will give you a hint though...I saw it on Pinterest. I have just modified the idea a little, or I just haven't seen it this way yet. ;) Pictures will be posted when it's complete. Until then I will continue to collect and add to my garden and yard. I love picking through trash, as funny as that seems. My whole life I have loved re-purposing things. I find lots of joy in creating simple treasures out of someone else's trash. If you put a little thought into it, you can create many treasures of your own. Have a healthy day!

Juicing Kale

     I have mentioned juicing before and now I want to touch on a specific green. Kale is what it is called. It is dark in color and is curly on the edges. It is beneficial is so many ways. Not only is it low in calories, but it is high in Vitamin A, C, and K. All of which are important in our daily lives. Kale also provides calcium which is needed by our bones, in the event you can't eat dairy products to receive your calcium. I haven't tried it yet myself, but after talking to my mom, it is a little difficult to juice. I will be trying it sometime this weekend just to give it a shot. I am not even sure if I have tasted it in raw form yet but it sure looks pretty. As I have said previously I am new to this, but I love greens so I can't imagine it being bad. I mean, I juiced mustard greens. Most of the time people boil it to eat it...juiced tasted great! So I will be testing this green next. Even if it tastes odd, I know I will still reap the benefits of this great Mother Nature provided green. Now, I don't juice for any reasons besides the benefits of having a full serving of veggies a day. I do realize that juicing all your veggies is not good for you, unless you already have an underlying issue. I do not recommend juicing completely unless you speak with your doctor. Too much of anything is not good for you! Everyone has their own reason for juicing so make sure you know how it can affect you before you decide to start doing it. Otherwise, if you are like me and just need a vitamin supplement, enjoy juicing! Have a healthy day!

Juicing

   Not many women go crazy over appliances for Christmas, but I got a few that I love. I recently got a juicer. I have to say, I love it!! I look at my garden and veggies a lot differently now! I just want to put everything in there. My mom has had one for a while and doesn't use it much. Fortunately for her, I have become a health conscience person and I have swayed her to bring it out and into use again. Today we went shopping for some veggies. It was fun. I always have fun with her no matter what we are doing! As we were in the produce section, I asked "Can we juice this? How about this?" LOL Mom being an experienced juicer just answered yes or no. She bought a few for herself too, since she will be juicing again. Hehe

     So far, I have juiced many types of greens, cucumbers, apples, celery, peppers, carrots and tomatoes. I love it, so vitamin rich. I must admit though, sometimes the color isn't so pretty, neither is the smell. But the taste, oh wow! I can taste the health! My hubby can't stomach some of what I have made. But I am learning and will continue to experiment. So eventually, he will like it! It is all in my plan. Soon the kids will love it too! My youngest probably already will, but it will be a chore for the other two. Either way, once I show them the yummy stuff, they will catch on. It is a slow process, but it is worth it in the end. As I continue to introduce great tasting ways to eat healthy, the family will also follow suit to a healthy eating style. Until then, I continue on my quest. I hope that you at least try juicing once before you decide that it may not be for you. The benefits are amazing and the nutrients are rich and pure. I am convinced that you don't get better juice anywhere else then making it yourself. Have a healthy day!

Cucumbers

     This is one of my favorite vegetables. I have grown it many times in the past and currently am growing another vine. I never realized what benefits it had to an individual. Who would know that a simple veggie could be so good for you. Before I only used them in chunks in my salads. Now I cut up slices and eat them as a snack. Luckily for me, I don't have any of the medical issues listed above, but that may be because I have always loved them. My hubby never liked cucumbers until we started growing them ourselves. Something about a fresh veggie that is just amazing. Now he is a lover too. There are other benefits besides what is listed here. I have heard that cucumbers are great for tired eyes, ya know the whole slice of cucumber on your eyes bit. Yep it really works. It regenerates your skin, while hydrating it. I love to put a slice of it in my tea. It gives it such a refreshing taste. Cucumber has become part of our daily diet. I just got a juicer for Christmas and I can't wait to see what I can get out of a fresh cucumber. I bet it's going to taste great, plus it will be 100% nutritious. If you have any of the ailments listed above, take time to eat a cucumber. In fact, add it to your diet. You will be happy with the results, I know I am. Have a healthy day! 

   

Ladybugs!

     This Christmas was very special for me. Mainly for the fact that everyone got me something Ladybug related. My daughter got me a Pillow Pet, that I have wanted for a while. My brother got me a little skull cap in the shape of a ladybug, so cute. :) My oldest son made me a jewelry box with a few ladybugs on top of a sunflower, my favorite flower. My youngest made me a shadow box with a scene of a plant with ladybugs all over it. I loved everything so much. I believe that ladybugs are a sign of good luck. In some areas of the world they may say differently as they are mostly pests. No one will change my mind though.
     My fascination with the sweet Lady was about ten years ago when I had one land on me. It sat there for about a minute before it flew off. While it was on my shoulder, I watched it closely. She was so beautiful and  perfect that I fell in love. Since then I have loved them. After my youngest was born, I got a ladybug tattoo. I know that it's a bit much, but I had a permanent love. I have a total of four little ladies on my bod. One on my shoulder (of course). Three on my left foot (for my kiddos). I also have quite a few pieces of jewelry that contain ladybugs. I am obsessed. LOL

     On the natural side of things. I have invested in the past to hire some Ladybugs to remove the aphids that were engulfing my tomato plants. They are not pests as far as I am concerned. They helped to protect my garden from nasty little pests that I didn't need. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough pests for them to live very long, only a month. Reproduction was very slow. :( Either way, I got some great pics of them in action. Some of my favorites were on the sunflowers. For some reason, in my opinion, I think they look best on a sunflower. LOL Maybe I am partial. Have a healthy day.

Garden thief

     I have had my garden now for about 3 years. So far we have had our share of bugs, worms and caterpillars. But, up until now, I have yet to have any larger pests in my garden. I will try to make this story as short as possible. LOL So this morning hubby and I woke up and looked into our back yard. On our fence we saw a hawk. Hubby immediately asked me for my camera to capture this beautiful bird of prey. Since he couldn't take the pic through the screen door, he tried to open it. The hawk must have heard it open and he flew off. This is the second time we have seen him, so we wanted to capture a photo. Problem now arrives. I know enough about birds of prey that they will hunt their food. So I get to thinking....if I keep seeing him, there must be a reason why. Well, not too much more thought was put into that. Hubby and I get our coffee and head out to the back patio to check on our garden. This is a daily thing we do as we start our morning.
     As we walk up to the garden, the first thing we see is a partially eaten tomato. Now I know that this is fresh because we do this every day. The day prior a ready to harvest tomato was eaten also. Good clue that there is something around. We started to think that this little pest may still be in the area. Up till now I have lost two pepper plants. Something ate all the leaves off and left only the stems (on the entire plant). I had found a few peppers on the ground, but I figured that whatever ate the leaves left the peppers behind. They are Cayenne Peppers so maybe they were too hot for this critter. We continue our search. Hubby looks under the compost container, which is sitting on CBS blocks. Low and behold we find a plethora of tomatoes, peppers, and a few agave babies that I thought our new puppy ate a week ago. We started to laugh, because in a sense it's funny. At the same time we figured we need to do something to remedy this problem. Time for traps.

    I love all animals big and small. I have had two rats before as pets. They are smart and most people don't know that. So the fact that I have to set a trap to kill this rodent is a problem for me. I really don't want to hurt or kill anything, but I am not just growing my garden for fun either. This is to feed my family and save us some money on our groceries. Not to mention the health benefits from having fresh veggies. This is just another example of how nature is. Sometimes you have to deal with things that you aren't planning for. I love my garden and so does my family. I hope to stop this pest without any more damage to my garden. I have a whole other side that is safe so far. LOL Have a healthy day!


On a side note....I am happy the world didn't end today. hehehehe

Wouldn't you know it!

     A few months ago, the family went to down to the Florida Keys. We have the benefit of being very close, so we go as often as possible. I guess you could say it's our beach time. So while we were down there, we hung out with the family. My aunt lives down there so there is an added benefit. LOL She lives on the bay side of the island. Along the waters edge are Mangrove trees and someone unknown to us set up a swing off one of them. The water was pretty deep so it seemed safe to jump in. But my youngest, instead of swinging down, decided that he was going to jump off the tops. Seems to me he had a blast.

          So as I sit there starring at this tree I remember a friend of my Moms. She has planted on her patio a few Mangrove seeds. We were telling her that you can get them almost anywhere down south. So while we were there, we decided to get some seeds. We not only got some for Mom's friend, but we kept a few for ourselves. Now after being planted for about a month, they are starting to sprout leaves. It is so cool to be able to grow such a huge plant in a planter. I just haven't thought about what I will do when it gets bigger. I do know that I have plenty of time to worry about that. On a side note, check out the stragglers that I have in my planter. I happened to use my composted dirt to plant the seeds, in it grew tomatoes and peppers. Wouldn't you know it!!! LOL I will be transplanting them soon, otherwise the roots will take over. It is just amazing how nature works. Have a healthy day!

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My planting schedule

     I get asked from a lot of people, "How do you know when to plant?" Well, I can honestly say I only have one answer for them. I use the Farmer's Almanac. It has yet to fail me as far as when to plant certain types of veggies. I live in S. Florida, so it really isn't that limited as to when I can plant. But the Almanac breaks it down even more. It tells you what type of plant you can plant and on what day. Such as today. It is the 18th of December. It says for today that you can "Kill weeds, briars, and other plant pests. Poor day for planting." So that is what I go by. Some days are great for planting vine crops. Some for roots. On whatever day it is, I plant accordingly. This also helps to keep things planted and growing. They don't always produce, but I believe that is because of my lack of skills. LOL I am learning a lot though. The almanac is based on the moon cycles. I am a nature believer, so this falls into my thought process. As long as I continue to plant, I should have a steady harvest going.
     The almanac has many other resources. I use a few, but not all. Since we are fishermen, we use the fishing calender along with the weather. I also enjoy looking into the night sky, so I use their astronomy page as well. It contains food recipes and healthy living. Two of which that I enjoy, just haven't looked into them yet. Another popular link the the Best Days Calendar. It tells you different daily activities that are beneficial on that particular day. Everything on the site is broken down by month and then day. I highly recommend it to anyone regardless of what your interests are. It is packed with information that the everyday  person would enjoy. Have a healthy day!

Composting

     When I first started my garden we purchased all the dirt necessary to get everything planted. As time went on and the rain slowly washed away the dirt, I had to make a decision. I am a very simple person and try not to spend needlessly, so I knew there had to be a different way to have the dirt I needed. I started talking to my mom (whom always was an avid gardener) to find out how to do such a "dirty" deed. She told me it was simple. Now that is what I was talking about. All I had to do was take all my food scraps and throw them into a pit or container. Awesome! I can do that no problem. So the hubby and I looked around for a pre-made container to compost in just to see what they cost and how they worked, etc... After some research we purchased our 40 gal. heavy duty garbage can. I mean, it's all scraps right. We had found many that were quite expensive for what its purpose actually was. It just had to hold trash. From there we also purchased a hand tool which helps to turn the compost. You do have to turn it so that everything inside will continue to break down and it is aerated. I have also added worms to add to the decomposition to the scraps. The worms help to speed up the time that the dirt can be used. I try to do planting as much as possible so I need a constant supply.

     There are so many benefits to composting. One that has made a big difference is the money. We have saved so much by creating the dirt that I knew we would be needing for future. We have also saved a lot of the trash that we actually throw away. I feel that I am recycling my food into well.....more food.  Another benefit is to my plants. The new soil is nutrient rich. I live in an area that is maybe a few inches thick of dirt and then nothing but coral rock. So I will use all the nutrients I can get. Composting also has taught my kids that if it came from nature, it will return to nature to be reused.  Our planet even recycles :D I will continue to compost everything I use. The benefits are well worth the time and effort it takes to make my own dirt. I hope that my garden continues to grow healthy and provide for my family.

My garden

     As I have said before I love my garden, just don't have enough time in it. It brings me peace and tranquility. I love to watch everything grow from seeds to later harvest and eat. I have wanted a garden for years, since I bought my first house almost 15 years ago. Unfortunately, the house flooded every summer so there was no possible way to have a garden. So finally, years later, I am able to have a wonderful garden (built by my wonderful man). I have planted so many things over the past few years, I wouldn't know where to start. I will say that my most favorite thing to plant is tomatoes! I LOVE TOMATOES!!! My hubby loves peppers, any kind. So between the two of us, there are a lot of both. We also have some radish, carrots,  various greens, broccoli, spices, grasses, and oh so many other things. One of the best things about having my garden is the health benefits that come with having fresh veggies in the house. There is nothing better than biting into a tomato fresh off the plant. Oh my! In fact, funny story, my hubby didn't even like cucumbers until we grew our own and he tasted it fresh off the vine. Now, he not only eats them, but loves them too. I wish I could grow more but I seem to be having a worm problem. Oh well, I am a novice at this, but I enjoy it so much that I will take whatever learning comes my way. Little by little, I will be a pro. Hehe. In the meantime I am enjoying whatever I can grow and eat fresh. Another benefit, that just so happened along the way, is that my kids even love to watch everything grow. I am bringing the nature out of them little by little. My youngest loves everything to do with nature so I know he loves it the most. The other two well....they like it, but not crazy like me! Nature is so awesome, you just never know what you are going to get when you harvest. I love that nothing is perfect as you see in stores.  Nothing in my garden is altered to look pretty. It comes the way it grows and I love that. Makes you step back and realize that nothing in life is perfect. :D Have a healthy day!

Ginger

I just love fresh ginger. I have tried to grow it in my garden with no success. I don't know exactly why it didn't take root but I will continue to try in a different growing season. As I was reading up on it, I came across this photo of the benefits of ginger. There are so many things that Mother Nature provides that we are unaware of and the benefits they provide. So, I decided to share ginger with you today. I have eaten it myself after a delicious dinner of sushi, to clean the palate. I have also drank ginger ale for an upset stomach. Until reading this I had no idea that it would be great for migraines, something I am lucky enough not to get. I do know many people that do though and now I have a homemade recipe that can be used for that, without having to take an OTC medicine which normally have side effects. I would so much rather take the time to make something healthier than risk some of the effects that OTC or Rx drugs have. Have a healthy day! 

   

Backyard Benches

     I saw an idea on Pinterest a while ago and decided that I was going to redo what I had seen. The original idea used CBS blocks and made a wall out of them. Some of the blocks were turned side ways and protruded outward making little planters. Inside the planters they had cacti type plants. I loved the idea so much but didn't know how I could incorporate it in my little backyard. So after playing with my sons Lego's, I came up with an idea. I was going to use the same CBS blocks, but instead of a wall...I am going to make benches. I have very limited seating in my backyard. That makes entertaining a task. I needed extra space for seating without being in the middle of the yard. We had some blocks that we needed to use or remove. I thought that it would be great to reuse them into something useful. So we stuccoed them together, added some glass beads that I had laying around and then stained the concrete. Viola! I decided to put cacti like the original idea showed. I am in love. We made two of them and soon we will be making a fire pit for those cold evenings.
   

Welcome :D

     Hello to everyone! Welcome to my blog. I hope to keep you updated on interesting facts about what Mother Nature provides for us to keep us healthy. I am a gardener, which I love. My cousin gave me a plaque that says "Work is for people who don't know how to garden." I could never have enough time in my garden. I compost my scraps from the kitchen and make my own dirt. I love to up-cycle and recycle. I am also a DIY'er!! I will post some cool ideas about things that I like. I am a big  firm believer that nature provides for us what we need. Yes, I do sometimes go off track... but that's because I am human. LOL I work part time with my mom in her business and I also have a home business. I educate others about the chemical dangers in their homes and offer safer alternatives. If you ever have any questions about anything, feel free to send me an email. I love to help as much as I can to the best of my abilities. Some things  I am a novice at, while others a self proclaimed expert. ;) I have 3 kids and a wonderful husband. I also take care of my niece and nephew a few days a week. I dedicate my days to my family and all their schedules. I am a Mom first and am very proud of my children. I live to make sure that they have a great future ahead of them. I also love to help other people besides family.  I feel that if people work together, many things can be accomplished. The more you know the better off you are. I hope to hear from my followers, I am always open to new ideas. :D Enjoy!!