Summer HEAT

It is that time of year again when the sun radiates over you and heats up the air like a steamy oven. Living in the North Georgia mountains I have enjoyed cooler summers since leaving the scorching state of Texas. However, a heat wave is upon us currently and its heating the temperatures up near 100 here and for us we know the drill having been in Texas for so long, but just a precaution and a reminder I thought I would share the precautions from the public health department:

Summer Heat Precautions


During a heat wave the body has to work extra hard to maintain a normal temperature. Excessive heat can result in serious health threats by pushing the human body beyond its limits. Young children, elderly people, and those who are sick or overweight are most at risk.

Measures for Preventing Heat Related Illnesses
NEVER leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles.
Slow down, avoid strenuous activity.
Avoid too much sun.
Plan outdoor games and activities for early morning or evening.
Avoid extreme temperature changes.
Stay indoors as much as possible; use fans or air conditioners to cool the air.
Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored clothing that will cover as much skin as possible.
Protect face and head by wearing a wide brimmed hat.
Drink plenty of fluids, even if you do not feel thirsty, and avoid alcoholic beverages.
Hot Weather Health Emergencies
Heat cramps: Painful spasms, mostly in legs and abdomen, usually the result of heavy exertion and heavy sweating.

Recognizing Heat Cramps
Painful spasms usually in the legs and abdominal muscles that may occur in association with strenuous activity.

What to do
Apply firm pressure to cramping muscles or gently massage to relieve spasms. Replace fluids. Consult your health care provider.

Heat exhaustion: Typically occurs when people exercise heavily or work in a hot, humid place where body fluids are lost through heavy sweating.

Recognizing Heat Exhaustion
Heavy sweating, weakness, cold, pale and clammy skin. Weak pulse. Fainting and vomiting possible.

What to do
Lie down in a cool place. Loosen clothing. Apply cool wet cloths. Fan or move person to air-conditioned place. Take sips of water. Consult your health care provider.

Heat stroke: A medical emergency- the body's temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, stops working. Sunstroke: Another term for heat stroke.

Recognizing Heat Stroke
High body temperature (106+). Hot, dry skin. Rapid, strong pulse. Possible unconsciousness. Individual will likely not sweat.

What to do
Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency. Call 911 or emergency medical services or get the person to a hospital immediately. Move to a cooler environment. Try a cool bath or sponging to reduce body temperature. Use fans and/or air conditioners, to cool the body. DO NOT GIVE FLUIDS.


Oh course its always wise to keep hydrated and cool the best you can in the heat. Take care to be considerate to the elderly and check on them quite frequently. If you have a neighbor or friend that you know doesn't have air conditioning maybe trying to find something to help would be friendly.

Try to keep even a small wading pool available for the kids and pets to soak in if you find the heat overwhelming. It's a nice change of pace in the evenings when the sun is going down and the heat is still lingering.

Don't forget your precious plants as well they do sunburn and need to be moved into a more filtered sunlight, if not able to do that then remember to water them very very early in the morning or late in the evening at dusk so that the water doesn't stand on the leaves and petals and cause it to BOIL and burn the plant even more.

Now is a great time to make ice pops for your kids and self. I like to take ice trays and fill them with juice and put them in the freezer the kids like to just crush them in a bowl to eat or even use them in there drinks for ice cubes. Cherry juices makes a great cherry cola or even a peach juice for your iced tea. You can use the juice reserves off of your canned peaches and other fruits to make tasty treats that will cool you down.

Enjoy the longer days and the warmth of the golden sun but take care not to stay out in it too long with out proper clothing and sun screen. It only takes minutes for a child to start burning and adults as well if you are fair skinned like me and my family. Wear hats and sunglasses as much as possible and be weary of pooling water around that gives mosquitioes places to lay their eggs. After a rain dump out any empty pots or containers where water has pooled.

The Graduation Party

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Trevors graduation

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Lazy

I know I haven't been very up to date with my blog lately, but I have had so much going on with my family. Which of course, takes first priority in my life. My son had his prom and I made a wonderful scrapbook for him. That took a lot more time than I had thought it would :S Also, preparing for graduation, getting everything tip top and ready for all the family coming to town and preparing party items menus and all the invitations. And, of course I have two other kids, one with a massive end of school project that the entire family worked on building. The space needle using the actual plans from the 1962 blue prints, hes sure to get a good grade. We had a lot of fun building that. My daughter has been busy as well with some projects and getting ready for their end of the year activities. It's amazing how busy things get from Spring break until the end of the year!
I did the bird bath planter as I said I would and have a photo to share. My yard is really looking lovley and all the roses are blooming now its just gorgeous.
We went hiking at Amicoloa falls this past weekend for mothers day that was exciting and a lot of fun. Being busy is a great feeling you get so much completed and you feel so productive.
I will get back into my blog as soon as I get my childrens lives back into a normal phase!
Cheers! :) Oh wait I'm on my NEW computer and I don't have my photo of my bird bath planter haha I'm so silly, I will add that from the other computer later!

Spring Planting

Beauty at its BEST!

I just love the spring and the time to plant new life in the ground. The feeling it gives me is envigorating and nothing pleases me more than to sit and look at my colorful loving yard.

New Azaleas on the side of my house to accent the once sickly rose bush that I spent last year nursing into a nice healthy bush. It's full of buds right now and will be absolutely gorgeous when they all bloom. Sadly, this bush among a few others will require extra special attention because they were originally planted in a less then desirable location.

A fill in across my shrub hedge in the front there was an empty spot where an azalea had died. It's taking well to it's new home.
I add my used coffee grounds to my azaleas they love the acidic soil and it helps their colors brighten and feeds their little rooted souls.

Another veiw of my new azaleas and my newly abundant now healthy rose bush. I just smile when I round the corner of my front porch and see that lucious green.

Shade gardening can be very frustrating learning where and what to plant when you have an area that gets little to no sun. It's very exciting to see things take off in such elements and it's a good idea to make sure you investigate your plants before planting them. The soil in shade gardening needs to be maintained and your plants need to be specific for the location. Partial shade is very different from full shade so you must learn where your sun is hitting if at all and you must watch to see how long and what kind of sun you get in a shadier garden. You can't go wrong with hostas and you can see my lavender azalea happily full of blooms. The bird bath was damaged during a storm and I have it ready to fill with soil and will plant ivy around the base and in the bowl as well as adding a pot with a nice lush fern. Of course I will add a photo when I have that completed.

Another close up view of my rose bush, I am so proud of this rose as it was nearly dead two years ago and last year looked as if it was miserable and had gathered a great deal of disease. When you don't put your roses in the right conditions and with at least 6 hours of good direct morning sunlight you lead your roses into dangerous territory with disease and unhappiness. I think this bush will be very happy this year now that I have doctored and cared for it with great tenderness.

This bed was full of weeds and untended when I started, I mulched and conditioned the soil for a full season before adding my new rose bushes. Last spring I put in two and they did well, I bought them off the clearance cart and they were quite sad looking. But, my heart is soft for a plant that needs love and will always drag it home like a child with a stray pet. I nursed them and they grew well and bloomed a good bit last year. This spring I've added two more hopeless souls from the clearance cart and they already look like they are smiling in their rooted hearts. The four triangled corners of the beds last year had annuals. My daughter planted some seeds in there this year and they are sprouting, but my intentions are to add a rose bush in each corner to make this a full rose bed. It's my sunniest spot in the yard and I just adore roses. They do require more time and tenderness and work but the joy of seeing the abundance of sweet smelling blooms is a great reward.

My new walk path. At the end of my porch next to the bed with my rose and new azaleas was a dead spot of dirt. There is no way to bring any grass up to it and my dogs and I use it every day to walk out into the yard, so I have started this little path to protect the earth a bit of our foot traffic. I am going to add some sand to fill it in within the cracks.

Another peek at my lavender azalea its just a beautiful site to behold when those big wide eyes blooms wake up and scream hello world. I can't wait to accent its beauty with my creation planned in the birdbath.

I added a flat of impatients to my shady driveway garden. The unearthed edge is also something I am going to work on but right now I haven't decided what I want to put there YET!

I am very excited to see this color in my front walk garden with it full of indigenous greenery and shade loving holly. The dogwood tree provides a great deal of shade but this little corner gets a sprinkling of filtered sunlight perfect for the colorful impatients.

Open my front door and I am greeted every day with such beauty as the azaleas begin to bloom. This hedge runs from one end to the other across the front of my porch and its a delight every time I see it. What better way to feast your morning eyes than to behold such delight when you greet the day.

Three more new azaleas I planted on the edge of my shaded yard facing my neighbors dogs. I am hoping they will grow big and strong and keep my little doxies from agitating the other dogs. They love to stand on that edge and bark teasing the two big dogs. It's a fun game for mine, but I don't think that the other dogs are having as much fun. Maybe they are and I just don't realize it!

There are many great sources on the web for shade gardening and plantings. Research a bit, find your zone and have fun with it. Just because your yard is shady doesn't mean it can't be beautiful and full of color!

Finding a new perspective

I am usually an upbeat person looking for the positive in every situation even when I'm angry or cross I can step aside and see both sides so that I can find the positive in the moment. This past week has been very trying for me and I've had a very hard time pulling myself up to the top of the hole I have been sinking within. My fingers are hanging onto the edge and if you look you can see the top of my head but the strength in my arms is wavering as I try to pull and pull myself to the wide opening and inhale the fresh air and see the bright light. Do you ever feel that way? Well, my down fall was technology troubles.
My laptop will be a year old in May and I have already had it in the shop once, now I'm not going to rant about the qualities of the Acer product, I have some positive things to say about the computer itself and I have some negative feelings towards Vista but thats here nor there right now, being one that needs to keep order in her life and one that likes things to be just as she expects them to be would be my rant. I have such a hard time with change and trying to adapt to things thrown at me when I can't find the solution. I'm a fixer and a doer now a dealer hehe
My laptop was having a bit of trouble but it was working just not up to speed but my husband in his infinite wisdom was going to make it all better. Now I have a laptop that doesn't even boot without disk now. I have spent the week dealing with my anger without letting him know I'm angry, more trying to be positive as always and finding the light but as this week has wore on I've just gotten blank. There are no positive thoughts there are no negatives. I have decided that it's time to be productive and just find a way to get myself a NEW one and hope that he fixes that one for he and the children!
Now, its a new day, I'm feeling a bit like myself today and I'm ready to do some comparsion shopping because what I want is something that isn't going to cost me an arm and leg and something that is going to do what I want it to do but I don't need a lot of bells and whistles.
Where do I start? Hmmm thats the first query to ponder, yes? Well, thats where I am right now I'm going to investigate prices products and find something that I can enjoy and will do what I need it too.
With that on this quick and small rant about technology and how it really brings you down in a flash, I will move on and start shopping. When I am confident that I have some positive links to share I will continue my post :)
Happy day to all and have a great weekend!

Cleaning Green

It makes sense these days to budget your money and live as frugal as possible. I am sure we all have that little voice in our heads telling us to do this but then the convenience of the prepackaged life takes over when our schedules seem so full and we feel tired and need shortcuts. I am one of those with three children and they all lead busy lives making my life busy as well. But, I find that I like to be as frugal as possible when running my household. My interest in living a green life has increased more and more as people are making it easier to do so with products and services. I am thrilled that so many have joined the "Green Living" bandwagon and its filling up quickly.
I thought I might share some of my ways of trying to lesson our stamp on the environment.
First, the other day I shared my obsession with vinegar which is the gods gift to us in all forms of life. Also, Baking soda, corn starch, salt, club soda and olive oil as well.

To create your own cleaning products I have a few recipes that I use that you may find helpful for the environment as well as for your wallet.

Home made Furniture Polish

1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice

Mix in spray bottle. Spray liberally on wood surfaces and wipe dry.

COFFEE GROUNDS:

Fertilize plants

Don't throw out those old coffee grounds. They're chock-full o' nutrients that your acidic-loving plants crave. Save them to fertilize rosebushes, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreens, and camellias. It's better to use grounds from a drip coffeemaker than the boiled grounds from a percolator. The drip grounds are richer in nitrogen.

Deodorize a freezer

Get rid of the smell of spoiled food after a freezer failure. Fill a couple of bowls with used or fresh coffee grounds and place them in the freezer overnight. For a flavored-coffee scent, add a couple of drops of vanilla to the grounds.

Cornstarch
For homemade laundry starch, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 1 pint cold water. Place in a
spray bottle. Shake before using. Clearly label the
contents of the spray bottle.

Carpet Deodorizer
I use a cheese shaker and fill with baking soda and a bit of cornmeal I add put a broken cinnamon stick or a few orange peels in the shaker and leave them and sprinkle liberally over the carpets and sofa leaving to sit for awhile before vacuuming.

Scouring Powder:

Salt and Baking soda mixed in a shaker make a great scouring powder

Vinegar and Lemon Juice Wipes
I mix 1 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of lemon juice to about a quart of water then place in a container that I have folded brawny paper towels so they will soak. Now I have a handy WIPE for quick messes or wipe downs.

Air Freshener

A spray bottle with vinegar with a bit of lemon juice for fragrance sprayed into the air will absorb odor and freshen the room.

I also keep decorative bowls here and there with a bit of vinegar and lemon with rose petals floating for a decorative look. This keeps my kitchen odor free especially with the use of a lot of onion.

SPILLS

If you have a spill on your carpet or upholstery pour a large amount of salt over the spill and leave it to dry then just vacuum or sweep up. Great for wine spills

Lemon powdered drink like Kool-aid with water and baking soda makes a great all purpose cleaner. DO NOT USE anything but UNSWEETENED lemon powdered drink or you will have quite the mess!


Heres a great article by Michael Bloch on uses for Orange peels. I love orange oil and was very excited to find his recipe to make my own.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

A couple of denture cleaning tablets dropped in your bowl leave for awhile then brush clean with ease. You can also use alka seltzer tablets you need about 6.

Club Soda takes out a lot of stains in carpet and clothing blot quickly then launder.

Liquid Laundry detergent:

3 Pints Water
1/3 Bar Fels Naptha Soap, Grated
1/2 Cup Washing Soda
1/2 Cup Borax
2 Gallon Bucket
1 Quart Hot Water
Hot Water

Mix Fels Naptha soap(Or grated Ivory soap) in a saucepan with 3 pints of water, and heat on low until dissolved. Stir in Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until thickened, and remove from heat. Add 1 Quart Hot Water to 2 Gallon Bucket. Add soap mixture, and mix well. Fill bucket with hot water, and mix well. Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens. Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load.

You can use a 1/2 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle to freshen clothes and clean the washer of any soap residue.
(This is not a green recipe because it includes borax which is not all natural but it is frugal if you are looking for ways to lessen the cost of laundry expenses.)

Homemade Fabric Softener
1 cup glycerin
1 gallon water
20 drops essential oil of your choice (Optional)


Dishwasher Detergent

Mix equal parts Borax and Baking Soda, and add 2 Tablespoons per load. Increase proportion of soda for hard water. Use vinegar in the rinse cycle like the jet dry and you will have sparkling clear glasses.
(This is NOT so green as borax is not a natural item but it IS frugal if you are looking to lessen the cost of commercial dish washing machine detergents)

I hope that some of these ideas and recipes are helpful to you, they are to me! Not only does it save me a great deal of money when shopping for cleaning products I know that my pets and my children are not exposed to toxic chemicals that could cause them harm. The best part is that I know that when I am cleaning and pouring things down the drain I'm not hurting my septic system or the earth!