Plant a Butterfly Garden

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pics are a few more Band Banquet photos of Austin and Melia. They were a very handsome couple Saturday night, weren't they?

RANDOMNESS #1 - I was able to attend a Coupon Class last night taught by one of our high school teachers, Carmen. She was also our babysitter when the kids were little. (I must have let her babysit when she was just 11 or 12 years-old!) She has a babe of her own now, AND she's become a coupon "geek" (her words, not mine) in the last few months. I can't wait to get started! I'm going to talk to her, and the next time she has a class, I'm going to see if she'll let me post it on A Simple Life. She has handouts galore, she goes over everything... AND she answers questions. If I follow in her footsteps I can literally save hundreds and hundreds of dollars this year while buying groceries.

I'm going to keep a list (SHOCK!), and let you know how I'm doing every few weeks or so.
If you notice a brand-new, state-of-the-art RV in the carpool line a month or two from now, you'll know it's me! I'll be sitting in the driver's seat with a big, silly grin on my face because my dream came true. I will have a full-size bathroom in my vehicle... AND a kitchen... AND a mini-fridge... AND a bed. You've got to dream big, baby!

Thank you, Carmen, for a job well done!

RANDOMNESS #2 - Here are a few more organization tips from my new mini-magazine, Real Simple, entitled "Extraordinary Uses For Ordinary Things."

6. Pillowcase - When traveling, pack your underwear in a pillowcase in your suitcase so they don't get lost in a pant leg or emerge in an airport security checkpoint. (Don't you love it when a pair of panties falls out of your pant leg around 2:00 p.m. when you're at work OR at the grocery store OR at the mall? It doesn't really have anything to do with the pillowcase thing, but I remember when this happened to me. Just saying.)

7. Bleach bottle - Fill two empty bottles with sand and use as dumbbells. (We could have saved SO much money on our Bowflex if we had known about this one!)

8. Wire hanger - Bend one into a giant bubble wand for kids (of all ages). Use one part dish detergent and one part water to make your own bubble solution. (We did this when the kids were little. So much fun!)

9. Laundry basket - Have a beach picnic. Tote items to the shore in the basket, then flip it over and use it as a table. Hose the basket off when you get home and it is ready to go back to wash-day duty.

10. Antacid tablets - Impress a kid. Pour water into a plastic 35 millimeter-film canister until it is 1/3 full. Drop in a tablet and replace the lid. Place the canister upside down on the ground. In 5 to 10 seconds, the gas pressure will make the canister pop its lid and shoot several feet into the air. (This one sounds like fun. I won't share them all, but the antacid tablet tips are the best, I think.)

I promised a couple of old re-posted camping stories this week, and this is the first!

Camping Story - Our First Ever Camping Trip

We decided to bite the bullet and take our little family camping. Austin was five and Josh was three. Roxie was a toddling baby, so we decided to leave her at her grandparents' house. In my mind, if everything went well, she could start camping when she turned three. (Actually, I was hoping she was going to be a prissy little thing who didn't like camping, and on camping weekends while the guys were out and about, she and I would have manicures and shop and watch chick flicks, etc. That dream never came true... but that's another story.)

With another family who had boys our boys' ages, we planned our very first camping trip. Oak Mountain was our destination... only 35 short minutes from home. We planned a weekend in May (usually a mild month in Alabama). We borrowed the tent and gathered the rest of the equipment from different places.

We arrived at the campground mid-afternoon, picked out our spots and started for the first time ever to set up camp. The boys were thrilled. They had brought their box of dinosaurs (a camping must), other various toys and they had each other in the woods. They were happy. Near our campsite was a large branch which was semi-broken and hanging from a tree almost touching the ground. Our guys were just the right weight NOT to break the branch, and it was like having a tire swing in our back door. They had a ball playing on the almost broken tree branch for hours and hours.

While we were setting up camp, the three year-olds needed to go to use the bathroom, and rather than walking all the way to the bathhouse, the dads told them to do what all little boys love to do... skip the bathhouse and find a tree. Life was good.

After camp was set up, we all walked down to the lake to let the boys wade. We hadn't planned on swimming, and we hadn't really packed a lot of extra clothes... plus, if your three year-old swims that means mom has to be ready to swim. We, as the moms, had definitely not packed our swimsuits.

We were very specific in our instructions "to wade" and "not swim." We even went so far as to explain, "Do not put your head in the water. Do not let the water get above your knees. Do you understand?" There was a lot of nodding going on.

And then Joshua's partner in crime at the time, smiled the smile three year-old boys smile right before they... go completely under the water. Right in front of the parents who had just told him "Do not put your head in the water!" He came out the water, and flashed another smile.

We've all been there. You tell your child not to do something, and they decide to disobey you then and there... and smile at you. He was quickly punished, and we were on our way to the campsite. We had handed all the boys water bottles. "Drink it all. Do not pour it out. Do not waste the water." And then Joshua's partner in crime at the time, smiled the smile three year-old boys smile right before they... pour the water out of the water bottle onto the street.

Sputtering, the dad of this particular three year-old uttered the punishment then and there.

"NO WATER OR DRINKS FOR YOU THE REST OF THE TRIP!"

Don't get self-righteous on me. We've all done the same thing before. I've told my kids they could NEVER go outside again; NEVER have ice cream again; NEVER watch TV again; NEVER... well, you get the picture. Parenting is hard on the best day... and three year-old boys... WHEW!

"What are we going to do?" I asked the other mom as we walked back to camp. "He'll be dehydrated if he doesn't get to drink until we leave tomorrow."

"I know. I know," she replied. I could see the wheels turning and she walked up to her husband and whispering began.

"We've figured it out," she said as she dropped back to walk beside me.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"We're going to give him mercy," she replied.

"Oh. Yeah, that will work," I said. Actually, I didn't know what in the world she was talking about.

When we arrived at the campsite, Dad and the mischievous three year-old boy went to a picnic table to sit down and talk. A few minutes later, hugs were exchanged and the the little boy came up to me. "May I have a drink, please?" he asked.

"Well, what did Mom and Dad say?"

"They said it was okay. I got mercy," he said simply... and I handed him a bottled water.

Mom and Dad had turned the whole incident into a devotion. Every day we do things we are not supposed to do, and this does not please God. But God has mercy on all of us, sinners that we are, and forgives us when we ask. This little guy had asked for forgiveness and, in return, had received mercy (a/k/a bottled water).

Of course, just like all of us (adults, too), mercy isn't given just once and that's it. We need it time and time again as we go through our daily lives. What a great lesson.

And by the way, the three year-olds ALMOST made it to bedtime before mercy had to be bestowed upon them yet again.

Our first camping trip was short, memorable and went well enough we were hooked. I'll have to go through my scrapbooks and count the actual number of camping trips we've taken since that first one at Oak Mountain 13 years ago, but we are well into the 20s (and maybe even the 30s) of camping trips taken. Each trip has a new set of memories... good and bad. I think I'm looking forward to next week because you just never know what will happen!

Wednesday Wisdom - Today's quotes come from a truly remarkable, wise woman... Corrie Ten Boom. These two specific quotes really spoke to the life I'm living this very day, March 10, 2010.

"There is no panic in Heaven! God has no problems, only plans."

"This is what the past is for! Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see."

Whenever I read about Corrie Ten Boom, it really puts my life into perspective. She was such an amazing woman.

Plant a Butterfly Garden

I have to tell you, I am not a gardener. I have never been a gardener. My grandmother and my cousin, Amy (of Black Friday fame), are gardeners and I admire them greatly. When I share something like this activity with you, I am doing so not from experience, but from hope that somewhere out there someone will actually plant a beautiful Butterfly Garden with their children... and invite me over to sit in the shade with a cup of tea to watch the butterflies flutter. (You know who you are, and you know how to reach me!)

Acres of land are not necessary for a successful butterfly garden. A window box or container garden will do the job.

First, have your child select the plants from the list below. Then, help them draw a simple plan with proper flower spacing and plant accordingly. Use the steps below for planting your garden:

1. Dig the garden, brake up the big clods with a garden fork, and peat moss, creating a loose, fluffy soil for the young plants' tender roots.

2. Plant short flowers in the front and taller plants in the back. This design allows proper sunlight and keeps both low-feeding and high-feeding butterflies happy.

3. After planting, soak the soil. This is good for the plants, but also helps butterflies, who suck the wet soil for salts and fluids... a behavior known as "puddling". If you are starting with seeds, do NOT soak the soil but follow the instructions on your seed packets.

Tip - Planting groups of flowers rather than single plants will attract more butterflies. Keep your butterfly garden pesticide-free!

Plants that Attract Butterflies

Annuals - Impatiens, marigolds, phlox, sunflowers, verbena, zinnia

Perennials - Asters, butterfly weed, chrysanthemums, daisies, rosemary nasturtium

Wildflowers - Black-eyed Susan, butterfly flower, ox-eye daisy, purple ageratum

Tip - Planting parsley to attract caterpillars, will help to generate a very active butterfly garden.

You have my number. Call me when you are done. (I'll even feature your butterfly garden on A Simple Life.)

This idea was taken from www.essortment.com.

Have a wonderful Wednesday. Tomorrow's Blog Linkage and date are "must-reads," so be sure to visit again. I'll also have some cleaning tips from my mini-magazine to share, as well as one more camping story. We have lots to talk about!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda