Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Motivational Posters



After a discussion with hubby regarding a quote he loved, I knew I had to create a motivational poster for him. I found a site several years ago (2007) that was perfect for doing this sort of thing and I was so pleased to find it is still in existance. www.bighugelabs.com it is totally free, but memberships are available for a faster, no ads version.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Garden Friends (gross version)

I found another dead opossum in my yard. This one showed a bit more 'Buddy love' evidence (wet from the slobber and a bit chewed up). I don't really like that my dog is killing things in the yard, but he's as tired of sharing his dog food as I am of buying dog food to feed the local wildlife.

This little guy crawled into my garden to die on a Friday morning. The kids and I found it right after hubby left for a weekend away. Being the responsible mommy that I am, I gave my son a stick and let him poke at the dead opossum to his little hearts content. When he got tired of that, I gave him the garden hose and let him spray it with water. We then all left for school and work... and for the weekend.

My theory was that trash day was not until Monday so the dead opossum would be better off in the outside air rather than bagged and stinking up my garage in the 102 degree Texas heat.

We got back Sunday night to find this...



Wow, it is barely identifiable as an opossum anymore. The heat and flies and bugs had caused this thing to shrivel up like a mummy--in just two days.


Another two days later and it was even more decomposed. Then just 1 week after his untimely demise, the opossum was nothing but a dry pile of brittle bones and a tiny bit of fur.



This picture was intended to show the pretty blooms on my artichoke plant, but it also shows that there is almost ZERO evidence of a dead opossum left in my garden after just one week.

I'm well aware this topic is gross and disgusting and all, but I find it fascinating just how quickly nature took care of this little mishap.


Okay, thanks for humoring my disgusting facination. Here is another pretty flower

Ginger Honey Cough Syrup

Why oh why do my kids and I still get sick in the summer time? The rest of the country has to deal with colds during the severe winters when everyone retreats to heated homes and shares germs by the fireside. Here in Texas, we have a mild winter and a fierce summer, forcing us to retreat inside and share germs... by the AC unit.

Late June and both my kids and I got a nasty cold, complete with runny nose, hacking cough, and sore throat. Time to whip up a batch of ginger honey cough syrup. The ginger is good for sore throats and to help clear mucus (yummy!), the honey is an antibacterial and also soothing for sore throats, it also helps to calm the coughing reflex. (except in the case of my hubby who gags when he tastes ginger).



Ginger Honey Cough Syrup

1 tbs fresh ginger, peeled and diced
2 tbs local honey
1/2 cup hot water

Mix all ingredients and stir well. Allow to cool slightly then sip as needed. For a very strong tea, leave the ginger pieces in the jar. For a more mild tea, scoop out the ginger after about 10 minutes.

*It is meant to be thick and sweet, like syrup. Increase the amount of water for a more tea-like drink.
*This cough syrup will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.