inspiration: the forget-me-not

forget-me-not by sunshine....

I had a wonderful weekend. I'm a Mormon and on saturday evening, from the comfort of my own couch, I was able to watch the General Relief Society broadcast. It is a wonderful hour and a half of talks from leaders to encourage, teach, and strengthen women worldwide. Every woman, whether or not she is a member of The Church, is invited to attend/watch this meeting.

This year Elder Dieder F Uchtdorf gave an inspiring talk using the forget-me-not flower as a metaphor. It is small, insignificant and often overlooked amongst larger show-stopping flowers, but it is still vibrant and happy in the background.

“You may at times feel a little like the forget-me-not—insignificant, small, or tiny in comparison with others,” he said, noting: “I hope (the forget-me-not) will be a symbol of the little things that make your lives joyful and sweet.”

Using an example from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, President Uchtdorf described how Willy Wonka hid five golden tickets in chocolate bars, promising to reveal wonders to the people who found the tickets.

“In their anxiousness, people began to forget the simple joy they used to find in a candy bar. The candy bar itself becomes an utter disappointment if it does not contain a golden ticket,” President Uchtdorf said.

President Uchtdorf warned not to put your happiness on hold waiting for a future event, or a golden ticket to appear. Be happy in the moment now, with the small forget-me-nots in your life.

“The lesson here,” he said, "is that if we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots that are all around us.”

Exactly what I needed to hear.

I really wanted to but could not put his whole talk on here! It is found here .

Another awesome message from Dieter F. Uchtdorf on creativity here.

planting bulbs in fall part II

pictured above are 9 hardy bulbs you can plant in the fall for spring show. Most of theses are hardy from zones 4 and up (click here if you don't know your zone).

purchasing bulbs tips:

- where? You can purchase them in your local garden centers and also in a variety of on-line stores.

- check and make sure your zone is included on each varieties package or listing

- experiment with less common spring flowers like the allium, fritillari and anemone if you are tulip and daffodiled out.

planting bulb tips (see previous post for more info):

- each flower has different needs for exactly how deep they need to sit in the soil. A rule of thumb is to plant it 3-4x's as deep as the bulb is tall. Most bulbs should come with specifications on planting depths.

- bulbs go pointy side up in the soil, but if you are not sure, don't worry it will find its way up!

- clustering bulbs or planting them totally sporadic looks much better than planting them in straight lines like standing soldiers or mixing them in perfect patterns of every other with another flower.

- if you are planting a garden of more than one type of flower, make sure you take into consideration the height of each flower. Tall flowers such as allium and fritillari should be in the back and shorter varieties like muscari and crocus should be planted in front.

- spring flowers are perfect for a cutting garden. Hyacinth are my favorite to bring in for their sweet scent and fritillari are gorgeous in a vase by themselves.

- in the spring after the flowers are bloomed out, do not cut back the plants until they start to wither. The plants need to photosynthesize by soaking up sun for next years show.

so there you have it. Think of planting spring bulbs in the fall and you will be greatly rewarded for your hard work!

-christina

how-to: fall bulb plantings Part I

1- tulip bulbs , 2- vintage garden tools , 3- garden tool belt, 4- gardening gloves, 5- gardening boots

The air is crisp and cool, fall scents and decor are in our homes. Warm and hearty dinner dishes are taking over the light summer salads. Who on earth is thinking about spring?? You should be!

Fall is the time to plant your spring hardy bulb flowers. They need the cold winter soil to hibernate in before they make their grand appearance in the spring. This week I am going to be posting about planting bulbs in the fall so follow along and learn a little bit if you are unfamiliar.

Start planning out your spring bulb garden now. The rule of thumb is to plant the bulbs after the first fall frost or when the soil temperature drops below 60 degrees. It is still a little bit early for us here in Jersey but should be perfect soon.

Think about where you want to plant your spring garden.
- the spot should get at least 6 hours of full sun
- it should be well drained and not prone to collecting a lot of water
-the soil should be well nourished. Mix in some of your organic compost or peat moss to enhance it.

newbie? find more great bulb info here

stay tuned for different types of bulbs to plant now for a spring show

found friday: junyi wu

plants by the talented illustrator junyi wu.

The weather hear has suddenly cooled here considerably meaning fall will be here in a few days! I am excited to celebrate the chilean independence day this weekend with my chilean husband and some chilean friends. you know this means there will be yummy yummy food!!!

I hope you enjoy your weekend!
- christina

the ultimate moss mound

via pinterest via mathra stewarts blog

found in martha stewarts maine home, the skylands. im speechless!

a great idea for next year in my birdbath

madonna loathes hydrangeas

alright by me. i absolutely loathe baked beans and would do the same if someone gave me some.

where were you?

Last night I could see the twin tower lights beaming up into the clouds by my house, so I drove to my favorite spot to view the cityscape in my town and I took this photo.

10 years ago, I was a senior in high school, sitting at my desk in math class as I witnessed it all unfold on tv. I was in shock, horror, and somewhat nervous to be an American that day. I was already blatantly sick of death in losing both my father and a friend a month before the attacks. It made my sorrow for those who lost their loved ones so much more real and I felt like I understood their pain.

image: michael appleton ny daily news archives

Did you hear this story about an office plant root ball found in the wreckage of ground zero that has since thrived? You know I found that one interesting ! ;)

cried at this video
and love this one too.


Where where you when the world stopped turning, on that September day?

inspiration: brooks shane salzwedel

black moss, reflections and north american pitcher plant
prints from artist Brooks Shane Salzwedel. find more of her inspiring work here.

be a flores del sol sponsor!

See that spot on the side of my blog over there? It's for sponsors of flores del sol. And the great thing about becoming a sponsor is that my rates are very affordable for everyone and the first 3 months are FREE!!! Yes! Free! I also love having fellow etsians as sponsors.

If you are interested email me here for more information.

Enjoy your labor day weekend
-christina