Landen and Elmo

Elmo is a little red dynamo with a positive attitude! Landen is spending a few days with us and wanted grandpa to get Elmo out of the barn. I didn't even know Elmo was in the barn! Jennifer had him last that I knew of. How did he get here? The yard sale popped him up and kept him safe in the barn for times like these. Apparently at Jennifer's garage sale David scarfed him up. Landen hurt his knee as you can see at the pool yesterday, and Elmo is helping with the healing. You have to watch David. I wonder what else he has hidden in that barn?

Can you imagine anything better than a dark chocolate goji berry with a cup of coffee? Goji berries contain an extraordinary amount of unique nutients and anti-oxidants that give them amazing power as a superfood in our diets.
Goji berries are grown from an evergreen shrub fround in China, Mongolia and in the Himallaya Mountains of Tibet. No wonder why they are so expensive. I am talking 18.50 lb. There relatives include tomatoes, potato, peppers, eggplant and tobacco. Goji berries have all 18 amino acids as well as mega doses of vitamin A, B1, B2, B6 and vitamin E. Gogi berries contain more vitamin C by weight than any other food on earth. Goji berries also contain more iron than spinach as well as 21 other key trace menerals. You see what I am talking about? Go to your local nutrion store and pick up this premier food.

Gardening For The Greater Good

Gardeners like to share things from their gardens, even their thoughts. It's a great way to learn and be inspired. Every plant that you lovingly grew and cared for, whether you grew them from seed or bought them at the nursery or inherited them from a friend or family or just happened to stumble on it. This is your assets, your garden portfolio! This is my garden, and we need rain here in South Central KY.

Natural Mosquito Repellents

Mosquitoes can be a nuisance when trying to enjoy the outdoors, especially if you're trying to host guests. The faint buzzing reminds us of those pesky pricks we receive when we least expect it. Thereafter the itching and swelling begins as our bodies react to the foreign attack. Sometimes deadly, the mosquito bite is more of a nuisance than anything.
Mosquitoes are attracted to several things. When we have been exercising or working vigorously, our bodies give off more carbon dioxide. Dark clothing highly attract mosquitoes. Fruity , flowery fragrances are another thing that attacts mosquitoes. Moisture, especially perspiring, draws mosquitoes.
Forget using commercial varieties of mosquito repellent. You may want to try Citronella oil, Cinnamon Oil, Rosemary Oil, Lemongrass Oil and Castor Oil. Moreover, we will benefit from their pleasant aromas. 

On Wings Of Harmony 

Can you find the butterfly in each picture? This past weekend was spent with Brad and Meagan. Saturday morning we attended the Butterflies of the World 2012. The show brought thousands of Butterflies from six continents. A splendor of hundreds of beautiful butterflies, flying free.
I love Krohn's Conservatory in Eden Park. As a child we never missed an occasion to visit. How neat is that?

Chicken Soup

Chicken soup is good for what ails you, and even helps the body's immune system. And found anti-inflammatory properties in chicken soup that soothes sore throats and eases the misery of colds and flu. That is, in the chicken soup that grandma used to make. Grandma walked out to the chicken yard to hand pick her free range organic chicken to serve up for a healthy carnivorous meal. Now with arsenic found in the store bought chicken, you could find yourself facing one of 20 known cancers by arsenic. 

If you know what's good for you, you will find an organic source of chicken. USDA standards do not allow arsenic in organic chicken feed.

Starbucks Bows to Public Pressure, Remember Bug Juice from Strawberry Flavoring?

There isn't anyone who likes Starbucks more than me. I love basically everything on their menu. The smell alone is enough to die for. As a matter of fact, if I miss a day at Starbucks, the employees are wondering where I am. On Thursday, April 19, Starbucks finally bowed to public pressure that it would no longer use crushed beetle food coloring. Instead by late June all stores will begin using the natural, tomato based extract lycopene.
The real news is that it took Starbucks four months to realize that the public might not find that very appetizing. Thankfully, Starbucks wasn't allowed to make this switch under cover of darkness.
No wonder why all those strawberry drinks are 50% off. They have got to get these parts of the dried female insects gone from the scene by the end of June.
Happy Drinking!   

By A 15 Year Old School Kid

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy' our Senior King.
It's inappropriate to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such judgment does not belong.

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen

Chicken Construction

It's so funny, because whenever we do anthing in the chicken house; the chickens have to inspect it. They are too funny! Nesting boxes are up, thanks to David's hard work and we are waiting for that first fresh egg.

Scratch And Peck

Sometimes when I have a chance I go to the chicken yard and ponder. And here is what I came up with.
We humans do it with tweezers and brushes and perfume and eyeliner. In the ladies room, at a restaurant, we line up in front of the mirror, refresh the lipstick, pouf the hair,and pick that piece of spinach from between your teeth.
My ladies get together and preen after they've enjoyed a good meal.

It's That Time Of Year

Who doesn't enjoy a picnic or barbecue on a beautiful summer day surrounded by friends, family, delicious food, and cold beverages.In the fast paced society of today few people take the time to enjoy relaxing past times. It is easy to fall into a routine that involves little more than the things that are necessary to survive financially and physically. I can remember as a child we always went on picnics. My mother was the oldest of 10 and when we all got together it was a crowd, to say the least. Mom would start early in the morning frying chicken and making potato salad. By mid morning we were ready to hop in the car and go to a park near by and spend the day with the family. Baseball, hiking, and telling forturnes were definately on the agenda. I don't know how that food kept, but none of us ever got sick. We would stay all day, and when light was no more off we would go back home.
Connect with each other instead of connecting with your iPods, Wiis, or MacBooks. It's that time of year!

Bees Reclaiming Their Honey

The bees readily reclaim their honey remnants and continue with thier honey making. Hive two and three are not up to snuff, so I sat the frames up right by the hives so it would be simple for them to come out and gather honey. I also put some wax in a double boiler and heated it to boiling. Wax is highly flammable. Don't want the house to burn down. The wax melts, and then you can add oils etc. I have lavendar blooming, so I chopped it up very fine and added it to the melted wax. It has this wonderful aroma. Now I have Bee Balm.

Mellow Mushroom

Bowling Green is noted as the restaurant capital. On every corner is a cluster of restaurants.Too many here to mention, but you get my idea. Saturday night after Alex's party Brad, David and I decided to go downtown to Mellow Mushroom. These pizza bakers started in Atlanta, Georgia. Mellow Mushroom specializes in pizza, but also serves calzones, hoagies, salads, and appetizers. Pizza is sold in three sizes, but slices are available during lunch and late night. The best pizza by far that I have ever put in my mouth.

Today was another successful day of honey gathering. I removed 2 frames and filled 3 pints. What a wonderful flavor. It has such a natural taste. If you have never had natural honey I suggest you try it. You won't be disappointed.

Weekend Plans

Over the weekend we celebrated Alex's birthday and Mother's Day. It was a great weekend chocked full of things to do. There never seems to be enough time. We took Alex out Sunday for an ice cream, bought him a new 20 inch green bike which he loves.And I wanted to show you my Mother's Day gifts. Brad and Meagan bought me a pair of PJ's and Jennifer and Kevin got me a hanging iguana to put up on the screened in porch. Thanks! Aren't they sweet?

Nothing Says Springtime Quite Like A Sunny Garden

There are a great many garden ideas to consider when you decide to begin the wonderful pastime of flower or vegetable garden. You will get a real feeling of accomplishment when you plant seeds into the ground and tending them into healthy plants. As soon as you make the choice to begin a garden you will be able to go through many different garden ideas before you find the one that you would like to try. You will find that there are actually quite a few different choices for you to consider.
A butterfly garden can be a beautiful choice to add to your lawn. A butterfly garden is a garden that is created for attracting butterflies for your viewing pleasure. Find out what type of flowers are going to attract butterflies that are native your particular region.
Container gardens are another good choice. If you live in an apartment building, or if you are simply unable to tend over a large outdoor garden then a container garden is for you.
My favorite is a vegetable garden. The bigger the better. You will need to take into account what types of vegetables are going to grow the best in your area. You can choose to grow enough to preserve for the winter months like I do, and this is so rewarding, or just enough to enjoy during the summer. It's your choice. Happy gardening!