Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is always a very reflective day for me.  Today is the beginning of Lent and a time to be  repentant and remember the shortness of life.  The weeks prior to Easter, during Lent allow me to get closer to God.  To realize my downfalls and be thankful that God's grace wraps me up like a big warm hug and lets me know that I am loved, even with my faults.  I feel drawn to the life of Jesus and how his journey even then, so long ago, is still so relevant and important in my life; and in other Christian's lives.  Lent is a good time to bring something new and positive into my life.  I try to find something that will become part of me and enhance my spirit and bring goodness into my life and my family. I am looking forward to our Ash Wednesday service this evening.  The men of our church will provide a pancake supper before the service and I am proud that my two sons will be participating in this event.  Every Wednesday for the next seven weeks we will have a service and a nice soup, sandwich and desert dinner.  I am looking forward to all of them and bringing some yummy things.

I made the neatest little flower pots yesterday.  First, I'm a saver and love to re-purpose a lot of things!  I have some old large, plastic, vodka bottles that were given to me.  I love the long neck on liquor bottles, perfect for a self watering flower pot.  I cut them in half, keeping the bottom part to use as feed scoops for my chickens and rabbits.  I put a small piece of nylon pantyhose in the bottom where the hole is to keep the soil from spilling through, also the liquor bottles have that little spout in the hole to keep it from flowing freely, this makes a nice stopper for soil. Once you fill it with soil you set it into a water- filled, large, quart, mason jar. Plant your flower or foliage into the top.  I like to mist it with water to get the soil damp and then you just have to watch the level of water in the jar and keep it filled.  It is a great self watering flower pot.  It can look a little plain un-decorated.  I like to tie a wide ribbon around the top of the mason jar where the two pieces come together, just to give it a little color.  Some colored stones in the bottom of the jar are pretty and if you are a fish lover, even a nice Betta Fish in the bottom is lovely, they don't like a lot of space and would love the bottom of the mason jar.  I kept a big pickle jar for years with Pothos vine in the water and a betta fish.  He lived for years and loved the vines and roots to swim through.  However, I digress, back to the flower pot!  I made three of these yesterday and nothing looks more simple and lovely than a few of them in a row in front of a sunny window. It is good medicine for Spring fever, to see a few colorful blooms in the light of the window.  Hopefully, those that know me will save their liquor bottles for me so that I can make a few more of these.  I do think a 2-liter bottle could work but they don't have the long neck like the liquor bottles do so it would have to sit in something shallow to be self watering.  I wish I could take a photo and show it off, I will eventually get that new camera I want.  And then, look out I will be a picture taking fool!