About Me

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IN, United States
I love the Lord and my big crazy family. My husband and I have been together for 44 years. I am a mother of two grown children and a grandmother to four biological grandchildren and 5 others. Many sites have been sold or did upgrades which messed up back links, if you find a broken link let me know and I will fix it.I have written online articles for Bubblews, Seekyt, TopicSpotter and Triond. You may still find some of my articles on Ehow/Demand Studio.
Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Homemade Fabric Softener: Inexpensive Recipe

Hyacinths would make a great scent for fabric softener.
Everyone knows the prices of the essential things in life just keeps rising, therefore, making your own homemade fabric softener with this inexpensive and easy recipe is a must try.

Vinegar has many good properties and fabric softener is no exception. I know people that use nothing but vinegar, however, I like my clothes to smell and feel a little better.


Ingredients for Homemade Fabric Softener:


  • 6 Cups water
  • 3 Cups of white vinegar
  • 1-15 ounce bottle inexpensive hair conditioner/cream rinse
  • Empty bottle
 
Instructions for Homemade Fabric Softener:


1)    Knowing you were going to make your own homemade fabric softener you saved the last bottle from the one you purchased. If not any plastic jug will work.

2)    You can purchase the vinegar and hair conditioner at any store using any brand. The dollar stores or local grocery stores are a great place to purchase them. Our local Martin’s grocery store features V05 products many times very inexpensively.

3)    By using hair conditioner, you can make your fabric softener any scent you prefer. I like the light floral scents.

4)    Vinegar is the same way; no need for the overpriced name brand, the cheap store brand white vinegar will work; when it is on sale simply stock up.

5)    Mix the vinegar, water and hair conditioner in a bottle, shake up and use!


There you have it, another inexpensive recipe. This one is homemade fabric softener, have you tried my homemade laundry soap recipe? 





Wednesday, April 4, 2012

God’s Beautiful Gift of Flowers

Have you ever thought how we use God’s beautiful gift of flowers in so many ways? Who doesn’t love a vase full of fresh cut flowers from the garden setting on the kitchen table? Flowers with meaning tattoos are artistically displayed, on breasts, sides, backs, wrists and legs.

We use flowers types for weddings, whether in the spring, summer, fall or winter.  Flowers for weddings in December incorporate ivy or flocked evergreen as well as your favorite flower. 
Flowers names for kids are quite often used. I myself used Jasmine for my daughter’s name back in 1980 way before it was popular.
Unfortunately, the opposite side of birth is death, and we choose flowers for funeral meaning and the loved one that passed away.
This Easter Sunday many white stargazer lilies or calla lilies will be displayed in churches everywhere.

John 19:30 “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “it is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

Don’t lose heart, that is NOT the end of the story, Jesus died for us, however, was resurrected on the 3rd day and ascended to heaven to be seated on the right side of our father.


Flowers with Meaning Tattoos


When thinking of flowers with mean tattoos, for many the image of a women with a rose tattooed on her somewhere comes to mind. Tattoos themselves, can be small or large, black/grey shading or colorful ink. It is all in the discretion of the man or women purchasing the tattoo and of course, the tattoo itself plays a big part in the deciding factor. When the Germans were tattooing identification numbers on the Jews in the concentration camps it doubtfully they were real concerned of the beauty of the tattoo, moreover, the controlling factor of the Jews that were imprisoned. When sailors were getting tattoos of their ships, girlfriend/wife, snakes, knives or anchors, they were primarily grey scale with a tad of color and much more cartoonish than they tattoos the tattoo artists are artistically doing today. Even a flower, such a rose, for a sailor, might be flat lacking the depth and shading.
The definition of a tattoo according to Wikipedia is, “A tattoo is a form of body modification, made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. The first written reference to the word, "tattoo" (or Samoan "Tatau") appears in the journal of Joseph Banks, the naturalist aboard Captain Cook's ship the HMS Endeavour.”

Flowers with meaning tattoos can be a variety of flowers. Roses, Jasmine, Cherry Blossom, Hibiscus, Sunflower, Lily or any flower that represents the person you are.
There is no rule about tattooing it can be a single flower, group of flowers or a flower entwined with vines. Flower tattoos are OK for men too. Many times men will get a tribal tattoo and incorporate a floral design. It is also common practice to have a flower and a cross or dagger design.

Up the Side Tattoo:

With this flowers and meaning tattoos, it is a large tattoo going from breast to hip. For the young woman it means, “I got the roses for their beauty and their strength. It’s a reminder that I’m a strong and beautiful Christian woman. There is a verse from Romans intertwined in the vines. The verse talks about not being quick to anger. I use to have a temper and was quick to anger the verse reminds me to keep my self in control and not to let my anger control me.” 

Tattoos from Wild Streak

Flowers with meaning tattoos, according to this middle-aged woman; “I got my tattoos when I was 30 years old. I was definitely old enough to make that decision and hopefully knew what I was doing. I found out that even as an adult you don’t always make wise decisions. My husband and I went thru a bit of a wild streak and I ended up with 5 tattoos in 2 years. I now go to church but they are ok with the artwork. I don’t regret the tattoos however, I would have made them smaller and I would have picked things that had meaning to me instead of what looked good at the time. My daughters were at least 20 and wanted to get tattoos. I didn't tell them it was a bad idea. I told them that if they were going to get them to at least make them small, make sure that the tattoo had some significant meaning to them, and because they didn't no what there careers were going to be to place the tattoos in places that clothing could cover them if they needed to dress more modest. I am now 16 years older and if I were to do anything different it would be the advice that I gave my daughters”

Shoulder Tattoo

Flowers with meaning tattoos, according to this woman; “It really doesn’t mean anything. I wanted a tattoo, and thought it was pretty and would be neat to have my name in the ribbon. I wished I would have had the boys names added on.”
 

Lower Back Tattoo

Flowers with meaning tattoos for this young woman, who happens to be the author’s daughter; "For me, getting a tattoo was about honoring my name, family, and becoming an adult. I have always loved my unique name. Some how my mom knew at birth that it would suit me perfectly throughout my life. I am fortunate enough to have an artist for a brother, who at the time was also doing tattoo art. So the minute I turned 18 (my mom said no ink before then) we got to it! I love my tattoo and will cherish it, my family, and my name forever."
According to the gardenguides.com Jasmine means, “Use Jasmine as a religious offering or altar decoration. It is the symbol of divine hope in the Hindu religion. The Balinese people plant jasmine in their public and private temples. Also, the Siwaratrikalpa, an ancient Javanese text, states that jasmine should be used as an offering to Ciwa, the native Javanese name for God. A common girl's name, it comes from ancient Persian and means, "gift from God."”

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Strange Yellow Tulip Growing in our Yard

I love my beautiful flowers. This lonely strange yellow tulip is growing in our yard. We did not plant this flower, so we really are not sure how it got here. We have plain yellow, red, red with strips and yellow with strips and this one 1/2 and 1/2 tulip.

According to Teleflora,"Although different tulip colors carry distinct meanings - yellow tulips symbolizing cheerful thoughts, white conveying forgiveness and purple representing royalty - a Turkish legend may be responsible for the red tulip's symbolism. The story goes that a prince named Farhad was love struck by a maiden named Shirin.  When Farhad learned that Shirin had been killed, he was so overcome with grief that he killed himself - riding his horse over the edge of a cliff.  It's said that a scarlet tulip sprang up from each droplet of his blood, giving the red tulip the meaning "perfect love."" 
 This post linked to: Macro Flower Saturday

Friday, March 16, 2012

Daffodils in Bloom

 
Isaiah 35:1 “the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” (KJV)



Here in northern Indiana the springtime is producing beautiful flowers. 






One-by-one a new variety is emerging. Right now, it’s the colorful daffodils. The beautiful yellow flowers are in many flower gardens.

 
I like taking close ups of the flowers and even change up the settings on my camera to capture the beauty.





 
I hope you enjoy my photos of the daffodils, as much as we enjoy looking at them.

This post linked to Macro Flower Saturday

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Early January Snowdrop Flowers

Close up on Snowdrops
The weather in Indiana this winter has been extremely wacky. Our flowers do not know what season it is. Strange as it is our snowdrops that usually do not appear until late February were up in the last week of January. Many of the other spring flowers as well as the grass are trying to green up too.
Snowdrops

According to Garden Guides, " The white flowers are usually borne singly, mostly in early spring but sometimes in mid to late winter, which makes them the earliest flowering bulb." They also added, "The bulbs should be planted 3-4 inches deep in early autumn in fertile soil. They will thrive in sun or shade. Use the in rock gardens or as an edging plant."

I love seeing my flowers, however, it is February 2012 so here in Indiana we will see many more cool winter days.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Turn Junk into Pretty Plant Holders

 Do people that are talented ever intimidate you and you do not feel you could ever be a Martha Stewart? Turning junk into pretty plant holders is easy; let me show you a tip that even I can do.

Things you will need:

• Junk that no one else wants
• Old Tea Pots
• Old Coffee Pots
• Chairs with the seats missing
• Wheelbarrow
• Potting Soil
• Gloves
• Plants/flowers

Amazon Product Selection


Read More: Seekyt 

 

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Zinnia Flower

Red Zinnia
The Zinnia's look great
around the mailbox
The Butterflies enjoy the Zinnia's
















According to Wikipedia, "Zinnia is a genus of 20 species of annual and perennial plants of family Asteraceae, originally from scrub and dry grassland in an area stretching from the American Southwest to South America, but primarily Mexico, and notable for their solitary long-stemmed flowers that come in a variety of bright colors."
 
Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.” Joel 2:23 (NIV)
Purple Zinnia


This post linked: Macro Flower Saturday

Monday, August 15, 2011

Naked Lily



Acccording to Wikipedia, "Amaryllis (pronounced/ˌæməˈrɪlɨs/is also known as the belladonna lily, the naked lady, or an amarillo. The genus has two species and the more famous of the two, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest region near the Cape. It should not be confused with Hippeastrum, a flowering bulb commonly sold in the winter months for its ability to bloom indoors."
Our family loves beautiful flowers and the naked lily produces such awesome foliage in the spring and then beautiful flowers in August. God certainly has given a beautiful array of flowers to enjoy at this year.








This post linked to Macro Flower Saturday
and Macro Monday



Friday, June 17, 2011

Clematis the Beautiful Spring Flower

 Clematis and all the springtime flowers God created are so beautiful however come and go far too quickly. We need to literally stop and smell the roses while we have them and can enjoy them.  

Song of Solomon 2:11-13; NKJV, “For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!”


 
The garden history of the clematis according to Wikipedia is, “The wild Clematis species native to China made their way into Japanese gardens by the 17th century. Japanese garden selections were the first exotic clematises to reach European gardens, in the 18th century, long before the Chinese species were identified in their native haunts at the end of the 19th century.They also explain, “The timing and location of flowers varies; spring-blooming clematis flower on side shoots of the previous year's stems, summer/fall blooming clematis bloom only on the ends of new stems, and twice-flowering clematis do both”

Let's stop to enjoy  the flowers.
This post linked to: Macro Flower Saturday

Friday, June 3, 2011

Purple Iris Flower


I love all my flowers and would not want to live without the beautiful smell they provide. Wikipedia describes the flower scientifically; however, I just want to think of it as God’s great art.

According to Wikipedia, “Irises are perennial herbs, growing from creeping rhizomes (rhizomatous irises), or, in drier climates, from bulbs (bulbous irises). They have long, erect flowering stems, which may be simple or branched, solid or hollow, and flattened or have a circular cross-section. The rhizomatous species usually have 3–10 basal, sword-shaped leaves growing in dense clumps. The bulbous species have cylindrical, basal leaves.”
My lover has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my lover's and my lover is mine; he 
browses among the lilies. Song of Solomon 6:2-3; NIV


This post linked to: Macro Flowers Saturday

Friday, May 20, 2011

Columbine Flowers

The Columbine flower is a perennial self-sowing flower. Better Homes and Gardens step-by-step gardening basics book has great tips on flowers and encouraging more blooms.
I got this beautiful start from my sister-n-law and it just multiplies every year.
They also come in a variety of colors.


Post linked to Macro Flower Saturday

Friday, March 4, 2011

Beautiful Unknown Spring Flower

Spring is finally here in Indiana. Although it is a very grey sky and gloomy day, it is 52 degrees. I simply keep reminding myself rainy days like this makes for lovely Spring flowers.
The last couple of years we have had this unknown flower, and unfortunately only one, show up in our flowerbed. We would love more but have no clue what it is or where it came from.
If you know the name of this lovely unknown flower please leave us a comment with the name. If you live in Northern Indiana and know where more can be purchased we’d love that information too.

Luke 12:27-28 (NIV)

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
 
This post linked to Macro Flowers Saturday