Just a Girl: These Boots are Made for....

Just a Girl: These Boots are Made for....

These Boots are Made for....

CONTAINER Gardening! How to be creative, functional and make a definite conversation piece were my goals for boots that were no longer wearable and bound for the local garbage bin. I was reading today about using your creative sources to be green when I looked in our closet to discover these. A very worn out, embarrassing pair of boots that had been sitting in our hall closet begging for me to throw them away. Art sometimes begins as necessity.


First to create your little piece of art, you need some really worn out boots. These are a great example of some good container boots. New boots just don't have any impact here and basically would not be reusing materials to create a greener environment. Those old boots are the main ingredient. These happen to be a size 10.5 but any size makes a great container.

• Here's your supply list:

• 2 Focal Flowers *Daisies, roses or even some lovely asters* 2 varieties you love with good vibrant color(s) are great. I used pink roses and some ice blue tall phlox plantings.
  
• 2 vines * English ivy and black heart sweet potato vines were my choices.

• Very good potting soil (fill the boot up to the bottom of the tongue to start). Later you will fill the boot almost to the top. make sure when you start (you unlace the boot as shown). Later when we finish you will lace the boot to the top and allow the ivy to trail over the lace of the boot. You want to create a tumbling effect with the vines over the laces.

• Spanish moss to fill in the top of the boot and allow the plants to retain more moisture. Luckily we have that in our back yard *which I have already cleaned* and prepared for plants. *Next week a lesson on Spanish moss live and dead cleaning*

Place your focal plants in the middle of the bottom of the boot. Then tuck the roots of the vines and vines in front of the focal plants inside the boot sole. Fill the boot with potting soil to stabilize your plants. Some arranging may be necessary to get the look you desire. Make sure the sole of the boot is full of plant roots to get that lovely antiqued container look.

Lace the boot up to the top and fill in about 2 inches down with soil. Allow room for the moss and to water. Generously place your moss on the top and be sure to fertilize and water your newly started creation.

Place in a location where you can create a focal point. The porch stoop, on the steps beside a pond, on the sidewalk leading off the driveway...let your imagination go here. A friend of mine has her's sitting beside the workroom door (as if they were just taken off to enter the door).

Not only have we created a green container, we have something to talk to our neighbors about.

Wishing you a "boot-i-ful" day!

Roast Beef Relief Act

Well if there's free food, I'd find it. *Especially if it means a slight reprieve in cooking.* I love to cook but I also like "not to" cook some days. From Arby's where my dear friend is a manager comes this surprise! Check out the proposed Freebies and to get some nice coupons become an Arby's Club member. Here's the Beef: Arby's is going to be offering FREE food on Wednesdays throughout the entire summer. But with some good food, you must purchase a drink and each location varies. Check your local Arby's, since there are some terrific deals out there! At my location, a small soft drink is less than a dollar! July 8th - Free Orange Cream Swirl Shake w/sandwich purchase July 15th - Free Regular Roast Beef w/soft drink purchase July 22nd - Free Roast-burger w/soft drink purchase July 29th - Free Fruit Tea w/sandwich purchase August 5th - Free Regular Roast Beef w/soft drink purchase August 12th - Free Roast Chicken Club w/soft drink purchase August 19th - Free Fruit Tea w/sandwich purchase August 26th - Free Regular Beef 'n Cheddar w/soft drink purchase So much for the Wednesday beef! Thank you Arby's for the Roast Beef Relief~!

Super-Saver Wednesday :

Hope everyone's having a blessed week.

Well money's tight for us right now (I think it is for everyone) so I did a small bit of research
and came up with some coupons and freebies to post today.

Hope you can use some of these:
$10 off Merchandise July 2-4th at KMART
$10 in coupons when you sign-up for KMART email (you can use both coupons separately)

Then there's one I call A Summer Slam Coupon Site (tons and tons of coupons) Print and Use There is something for everyone at this site (Freebies, downloads for free and coupons for about everything).

Other things I am using to save some costs are downloadable ring tones for free. I almost fell out of my office chair when my carrier wanted $0.99 for a single ring tone (ouch). So I came up with these sites where you can download the ring tones free. Do your search according to your phone type and carrier. Check out: Phonezoo.com and Myxer.com and remember using your own Mp3's you can make your own ringtones!

Get Smart about how you download Mp3's too. Racking up endless Mp3 downloads can cost you up to a $1.00 per song. Rhapsody.com has a free download section . ClassicCat.net has oddles of FREE classical songs you can download free. For the cowboys out there, there is also CountryWeekly.com just search for Free Music Downloads. When visiting Amazon.com you can go to digital downloads on the lefthand menu look for Mp3 downloads. Look for Most popular and there you will find Free Songs and Special deals!

My Favorite 4th Freebie is Florida Based. The Rock Church is having a Rockin' the 4th picnic and bash (get it Rock=Bash) anyway...BBQ chicken, ribs at noon and 5:00 pm. There's no cost to attend. The Rock is located at: 2901 S.R. 544 Winter Haven, Florida 33881. Activities include: *Hoping it does not rain*, Jetskiing, fishing,boating, frisbee, Canoeing, Valleyball, Sunbathing,tubing/skiing/waterboarding, swimming or just sit around and relax! Questions?
Call the church office at: 863-295-5585. Covered dish is welcome!

Service with Pastor Mike starts at 6:00 pm and we hope you attend but it is not mandatory. Maybe we will even hear from our new Youth Pastor Jack.....never know!

Have a frugal Wednesday filled with blessings. Remember to take time to pray today and everyday. God Bless!


Many thanks to Ms. Nell for sharing a photo of this beautiful flower she's growing in her yard. Ok, Nell you are now blogged :-0

Recipe of the Day
A Canadian friend introduced me to Nanaimo Bars. These are not for the faint-heart chocoholic or weak to count calories....It's one of those : You must try them once in your life and on very special occasion bars for our family. Here's the recipe and the lovely city it's named after in Canada. Nanaimo Bars Recipe
Enjoy!

The picture above is my dragon's tears plant. Later it gets red bean pods!

Friday Freebies

Love chocolate? Don't forget to Register for your free chocolate bars at Mars. They are having a "Chocolate Relief Act" Friday's.

I am for anything free that puts smiles on hundreds of folks faces!
Go here to register Chocolate Relief Act (and yes, I did get an actual coupon worth up $0.85 for any Mars product I selected). So it is real and I do check the links I post.

But I think my coupon may have been misplaced in my DH's hand......

Have a great weekend!

How to Make a Solar Oven | eHow.com

How to Make a Solar Oven | eHow.com

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The Rock

I haven't blogged enough about our church and what we do there. Besides being a great place to learn about the Lord, we have a ton of activities.

This week is Vacation bible school and coming up is the Rockin' Life Camp experience which I truly believe can change a young person's life. It can do that for the Adults too but we all need to volunteer a smidgen more than we have been. Why's it so hard to give time when it's all for the Lord?

I think I am guilty of forgetting that this world passes by quickly and what we do for Christ in his name is all that really matters.

Come see us at the Rock! Say hello or listen to some of the sermons by Pastor Mike. I think you will love it as much as we do.

For the kids today, come visit this fun site (adults will love it too!)

Weekend Freebie in Florida

Have you ever wanted to have a great weekend and just didn't have the funds? Well Florida's State Parks have surely cured the "Blahs" for many families by offering Fee Free Weekends. Most state parks offer the same program so check with this listing for information.

Here's the listing of Florida and other state Fee-Free State Parks! Enjoy!

This is a UFO Pepper bush our son Marcus started for me :-) Have a Blessed day with the Lord.

Crafts For Kids

Hope you had a great day. I stumbled onto a great (really creative) kids craft site tonight while checking my email. Alpha-Mom(tm) has instructions for making a really neat art notebook that I fell in love with. It's an excellent way to preserve any age groups refrigerator art and could even be done with a theme in mind.

They are an awesome craft site. Be sure to look over the crafts for kids of all age groups.

Check out: Alpha-Mom(tm)

This is some Purple-leafed Basil starting to grow in my herb garden.

Where to find Good Reading

I love being online. I like to answer my email, look at links, respond to posts, collect recipes (which I actually use) and do my Swaptree trades. I also love to read online and have found the Bible, Dead Sea scrolls, Apocrypha and discussion forums at : Interfaith Lovely site with various versions of the bible.

If you have old books lying around, CD's, DVD's or games I highly recommend SwapTree. You can trade items for other items for the cost of postage. Really nice, secure site. If you join, please mention me Sleepy554 as your referring member. Thank you!

Enjoy the links!

Today's picture is Imagine *Emma-jean* enjoying the flowers!

June 11 & 12 $5.00 off coupon

Well, for anyone frugal this June 11th and 12th Walgreen's is giving a $5.00 coupon toward any purchase of $25.00.

Here's the link to print the coupon. Walgreens June 11th and 12th Special offer

This a fire Dahlia starting to bloom in my little garden :-) More as it progresses.

Paper Toys to Make for Gifts & Fun

I found the most creative link on the web that I have the opportunity to share with you all.
Marilyn Scott-Walters has created a nice little free section on making paper gifts. It has to be one of my favorite links of all time.

Have a look, make some toys! Make someone's day with a gift... Perform a RAK *Random Act of Kindness*. Just make everyday count, every second a treasure and every life around you a joy.

The picture is of my recent bouquet from the ceremony renewing our vows at the Rock with Pastor Mike Jarrett officiating.
I guess I'd marry my Marine everyday and feel like I do everyday. It's great to be able to do that. Praise report *smiles* It's cool to have Pastor J actually performing the ceremony. It means more to us than the first time just having him there. Thanks Pastor J!

Have fun!
Now on to the toys!
Fun with Paper!

How to Save Money at the Grocery Store

I found that by looking through the sales ad's of all the stores I shop at, I can make a list easily.
There's a pretty awesome link that lets you pick and print coupons, compare sale items, mark items then print your list.
This week alone, I saved over $80.00 using this. Now, to me that's a bunch but to some it doesn't mean much. I guess in today's economy, I feel any savings helps.
Thank you to Duke University Digital collection for the awesome grocery-related pic.
Here's how to save some money on one of those things we all need (food)! Free Grocery Store Lists

Until the next post, God Bless!

Garden Based Learning for Educators

Afternoon all, there's a really cool site dedicated to teaching gardening to youth. Complete with lesson plans for educators, summer camps, volunteers and anyone loving gardening.

Cornell University sponsors the Garden-Based Learning Site which rocks!
Check them out here! Cornell University Garden-Based Learning Site

Have fun and be sure to post some of your activities to me so I can blog you.

This is Florida "Lake Smart" at dusk.

How to Make Paper Look Old

If you haven't discovered WilkiHow, this might be a great time to. One of my favorites is WilkiHow to Make Paper Look old. You can make paper look ancient which is excellent for my handmade journals and papers.
Here's an example of some old paper, many thanks to Duke University Digital Collection for providing the world's greatest old ads and more.
Here's a picture of the garden this morning. Enjoy and Have a blessed day!

Bottle Brush Tree

Thanks to Mimi from Hawaii and Yahoo Groups PlantSwap, the mysterious tree has been identified! The lovely red flowers and bark are really unusual but she identified right away from my little badly taken picture.

If you love swapping plants in a great environment, check out the group. You will find resident experts on plants, information galore and a group of for the most part real nice folks. No money exchanges hands here so it is not a vendor forum. It is trades only here.

Check out the forum if you love plants and like interacting with other plant lovers.

The picture enclosed is a Croton. The one below is the Bottle Brush Tree.

Enjoy!

Our new Youth Pastor Jack

Jack leaves Florida with the kids tonight for Cedar Point , Ohio where they earned a trip pulling Cat tails from the lake channel. They also sold Photos, did church clean-up and other healthy activities for a much deserved outing.

This is their first official trip without Pastor Mike on board so we are all praying for a safe, fun trip for the kids. Have fun y'all!

If you haven't seen Jacks Blog, please take a moment to go visit him and say Howdy!
http://jackjarrett.com/ We are really pleased to have him at our church working with our kids.

The sermon rocked today and I figured out I needed to understand revelations instead of running from it. It's one of those books of the bible, I never tried to really understand. With Pastor Mike's help I am getting there....sloooooowly but surely.

We sent taco fixings with the kids and hope they get more meals to assist them with their trip. They get the opportunity to cook at churches along the way to save their much needed cash reserves.

Have fun guys! and take pictures!!!


God Bless!

Playing With Spiders

My friend Diane amazes me. She's a Master Gardener, a good friend and she shares fun things.
Well last night in my email, she shared a game with me. I just have to pass it on...*Big Grin*
There must be some goal to the game? See for yourself.
Playing with spiders

The picture of the day is Imagine, our kitten pronounced *Emma-Jean*. She talks to plants. Enclosed photo should brighten any plants day even during our rainy Florida day.

Iponea Leaves from the garden

Want to be an Earth Observer? There's a treat for those that do...A lovely orchid!

More details here!

The U.S. Geological Survey and affiliated groups is looking for volunteers for a climate change observation force.

In an unusual collaboration of government and academic scientists, the USGS and other outfits want to build a network of "citizen scientists" who will observe and record such things as when and where plants sprout, flower and fruit, and animals reproduce, migrate and hibernate.

Anyone interested in participating in the USA-National Phenology Network can sign up at:

www.usanpn.org

Freebies *For Romance Readers*

Who doesn't love a good love story once in awhile? Barnes and Noble are celebrating
Harlequin's birthday with a series of 16 downloadable novels.

Enjoy them while they last!
Free Novels

A bit of my garden today since I am too busy to really write much today!

Our church and being a Needs Minister

It's really cool going through the classes at the Rock to become a minister of the church. I was made a "needs" minister with the help of Pastor Matt (he's just the greatest). My job is to assist people in the church with needs they have. Today I was given a home for a senior citizen...the big guy surely works in BIG ways. Now it's time to get that wascally Pastor to slow down long enough to get this big wheel in motion for some very lucky elderly person. I love what I do and I do what I love. Check out our church and what we do there.
The Rock

Here's a new bloom in my yard that my friend Diane traded me. I call it inspiration!

How to Paint Marbled Paper Using Shaving Cream: 8 steps (with pictures) - wikiHow

How to Paint Marbled Paper Using Shaving Cream: 8 steps (with pictures) - wikiHow

How to Make a Bull Whip with Duct Tape

Ok, now I have heard of everything Duct Tape can do...I think at least. One of my favorite blogs
has an intense course in "Making a Bull Whip" out of Duct Tape. I had to share that one! Thanks to "Skip to my Lou" for making this most sought after item *a reality*. Now what to do with my new whip?
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/05/29/how-to-make-a-duck-tape-bullwhip/

Make one yourself by clicking on the link! Mine is not available for borrowing...

Musically Inclined

I don't know if anyone of you has ever heard of Colm Lynch but if you haven't then there's a time and place for every good thing. I met Colm on Bebo after stumbling into his music. I guess that's one of the times stumbling took me into a "good thing". http://www.myspace.com/colmlynch

Hope you enjoy Colm as much as we do!

Just a Recipe! I think not...

Ok, today I had decided to treat everyone to: Dreamsicle Pie! Memories of ice cream, hot days and childhood. Who didn't like dreamsicles? I can't remember a single person who didn't consider it a favorite. I remember eating them as a treat after a long day at camp in the summers. Hope you enjoy my special recipe for a special group of people and my favorite guy. If you want to make it low calorie (substitute FAT free for regular) and low sugar (use sugar free) rather than regular. This dessert can be made for almost any dietary restriction. Ingredients:
1 6 oz. Pkg of Orange Jello *Dissolve in 1 cup of Hot Water only*
2 (6 oz.) Packages Cream Cheese * very soft*
1 Can 14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 small cans (4 oz) Mandarin oranges or 3 TBSP's Orange Peel
1 12oz. Container Cool Whip
1 Small Box of graham cracker crumbs

Line a 13X9 inch pan with graham cracker crumbs, 1 stick of melted butter and 2 tbsps of sugar.
Push down with a glass to make a crust bottom.

• Mix together in a separate bowl
  
• 1 6 oz. package of Orange Jello, Oranges(drained well) or orange peel
• 1 Cup Boiling Water *Stir till well dissolved*
• Add Creme Cheese * Mix with Mixer into Orange jello, oranges and hot water till very well dissolved and creamy*
• Add the 12 oz. container of Cool Whip *Mix with Mixer till well blended together*
• Fold into Crust
• Chill for at least 4 Hours in the refrigerator.
• Garnish with Orange peel or Mandarin Orange sections.
• Serves 12-16.

The picture is of the inspiration for the pie. One of my blooms for today inspired me to do something different and pretty (sort of like it is).

Hope you enjoy!