All posts filed under: DIY

There’s a Snake in My Couch Part I : A Mom’s Point of View

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By Marie Stephens Not everyone knows this about me, but I am a snake phobe. I don’t like to visit them at the zoo.  I don’t even like to touch pictures of snakes in books.  I can’t even handle those fake plastic snakes.  I am not much of a yeller, but the few times that I have yelled at my kids were because they put a rubber snake under my pillow, or nearly caused me to jump out of my skin when they threw one on my bed while I was sound asleep.  I do not like the way they move, I do not like their creepy hissy looking tongues; I am fully aware of the fact that a snake’s skin is not slimy, but It still appears that way to me and it still freaks me out! To all of you snake enthusiasts out there, I am truly sorry if this does not help to improve the public image of the snake and how important they are to the environment.  Let me publicly announce …

Bounty of Beans

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“Beans don’t fry in the kitchen.  Beans don’t burn on the grill.  Took me a whole lot of tryin’, just to get up that hill.”  Sometimes, that’s how gardening feels, doesn’t it?  But then, when you get a crop, it’s soooo rewarding, even if it’s a small one, it still feels like a victory…..like you’re finally “In the big leagues”, and you’re finally, “Movin on up!”  I love that song, and as I have been writing this post, it keeps popping into my head, so I thought I’d share it so you can listen to it while you read:)   My two year old and I have been dancing and clapping along to the music this morning. This spring I planted beans.  A LOT of beans.  I had high hopes of sampling new varieties of Limas, black beans, Garbanzo Beans, Yin Yang beans, Fava, purple pole, green pole, yellow wax, and I think that’s it.  Everything was going great, until this drought came along, and nothing was happening.  I had almost given up on my …

Truffula Tree in the Making

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 As my son and I were walking to school today, I spotted something so cool, a miniature Truffula tree in the making!  There was a Clematis vine on a mailbox with tons of seed heads.  The seed heads are almost an exact replica of a Truffula tree, only miniature.  For any of you who have kids who love the book, The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss, you should definitely try to find a seed head from a Clematis vine in your neighborhood.  Even the stem is shaped like the trunk of the Truffula trees in the illustrations by that beloved book.  I have a plan to try to spray paint the seed head with a floral spray paint to see if I can come up with something cute!  Pics on the way. http://api.skimlinks.com/skimrss/xml?id=56178X1329476&domain=go.redirectingat.com&rss=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2FGardeningWithMarieStephens

Sedum: 10 Ways to Use It

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Ground covers Earth Sculptures Stuffed Topiary Containers Framed Outdoor Wall Art Rooftop Gardens Living Walls Living Wreaths Kissing Balls and Pomanders Table Centerpieces Sedum Couch:  This is a real couch that I stuffed and covered with sedum.  It survived a zone 4 winter, and is still looking good for the 2nd season!  My cat, Uno, was being a good sport by posing for me.  Now that’s what I call a topiary. Find Sedum Cuttings for your own projects http://api.skimlinks.com/skimrss/xml?id=56178X1329476&domain=go.redirectingat.com&rss=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2FGardeningWithMarieStephens

Starting Basil Indoors

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How to Start Basil In Your Kitchen I just got a question from Shaina about how to start basil so she could have fresh herbs in her kitchen.  Basil is an easy one to germinate, or start from seed.  And fresh basil tastes wonderful in so many dishes.  So this one is for you, Shaina, hope this helps:) First and foremost, you’ll need some seeds!  Below are links to where you can order some of my favorite varieties!  And there are tons of different kinds of Basil! As I was hunting for links for Basil seeds and looking at pictures of this delicious herb, I began smelling Basil!  I told my family, “Man, all of this talk about Basil is making me so hungry, I am starting to smell it!!!”  Then I walked into the kitchen and realized that my son, Harrison, was eating his breakfast, leftover angel hair pasta with basil pesto mixed in!   Getting Started Potting Soil Prep:   One thing that nobody seems to tell you is that potting mix is …