Trash: It's a Scoop and a Funnel In One!

I recently put up my pool and needed to by some pool chemicals. I purchased three small bleach like bottles that had a green anti algae liquid in them. Out here in the sticks we don't have a trash service and it is my mission to find ways to reduce burning trash. It didn't take me long to figure out a way to use the bottles.

I cut the bottom of the bottles off. I washed them with dish washing soap and hot water, and I have a scoop or a funnel!

Pool is UP!

Thank goodness the pool is up. There is nothing like working in your garden part of the day and taking a break to cool off in the pool. I often garden in my swimsuit, much to the dismay of my teenage children..

My last property had beautiful plants around the pool. It looked like we were floating in a flower garden. I doubt that will happen this year as we are starting the remodel of our home in a few weeks.

This new pool has potential I just don't have the creative juices or the cash flowing this year for the project... It still serves it's purpose this year and for the beautification of it... well...there is always next year! Meanwhile my tan is ON!

Sign in at Summer School!

On a walk through our property I found an old school chair very old rusted and two bullet holes in the front.  To the delight of my son, we, or shall I say he carried it up the acreage to the front, I pondered what am I going to do with it... Why not plant something in it!

So I got started first I painted the chair with an outdoor primer in white. I did not want to spoil the rustic look of the chair but... I also wanted it to last I felt it was right so I did a partial paint job on it. Next I had a board cut to fit the book hole, I had to find someway to get the dirt to stay in. Then I filled with a potting mixture and put in some morning glory seeds. I did not Nick and soak them like I have in the past. I just decided to put them in the dirt.

One day I had a conversation with an old friend about the teacher summers. He said he said that he never takes the summer off he always teachers summer school (he is a high school teacher). I am a kindergarten teacher we typically do not have summer school for our kinders so my version of summer school is in the garden at home! What a great name for my new reuse planter "Summer School." I told my teenage daughter, a great artist to get busy making my school chair named in paint. She used paint pens and Incorporated the bullet holes into the art! I have also been making visitors to my property sign in on it as summer has begun! So far I have two signatures, both friends of my children. My dad did not sign hmmph!

I hope you enjoy the pictures and it inspires you to reuse something in a new way!

Couponing at Wal~Mart, I am Hooked!

Last Night's Trip:

STP Gas Treatment $0.97 each
Banquet Fruit Pies $0.63 each
Dial for men shower wash 0.97 each
Palmer's Lotion tubes $0.27 each
Monostat poweder product $2.97 each
Sun Drop 2 liters $0.00 each FREE!!!!!!!!!!!

 I got my list from the Family Frugal Life website, another website I like to use for shopping lists is coupon closet both are local people with many stores they make shopping lists for.

I have been getting a lot of good deals lately check out these presents for father's day:

I found a deal on a men's electric razor so I went home and checked for a coupon. I found one at the coupon network for $10.00 off a norelco electric razor product. I printed it went back to walmart and bought 4 of them. Sale price was $14.97, the purchase price was $4.97! All the father's in our lives are getting one!

Thank you WAL~MART!!!!

Grandma's Flowers and the flower rescue

My Grandmother's house has been lived in my my Aunt who did not want her flowers. So I dug them all up and found them a home on my property. I have many different types of plants but the Iris flowers are my favorite story. You see my Grandmother did the very same thing, she saved her Dad's Iris flowers the very same way, I have saved the same family of flowers! These Irises once belonged to my Great Grandfather.  This project deserved a special place! There where so many flowers I did end up planting many of the irises around several trees on my property as well.

I found an outcropping of rock that I knew was pretty large.

I excavated the rock and dug out the lower side for the bed.

Laid down retaining wall fit into the natural landscape...

After adding landscape material at the bottom I added a mixture of top soil and garden soil..

I added flowers in the cracks of the rock...

Then I added Grandma's Flowers!

Here are some other flowers I also saved over spring break...

Bucket Garden

Making raised beds takes a lot of money and time. An alternative we decided to try is bucket gardening. I took inspiration from many video's on the subject on YouTube.com.  I was using all the free buckets I could find but I also purchased 5 gallon buckets from home depot from under $3 a bucket. My cousin found me even larger buckets to garden in and now I am trying to plant corn, cantaloupe, watermelon and okra in some of those. A few stores willing to give me buckets for my bucket garden was Homeland deli area, and Braum's. I think this is an idea we can have a nicer garden in kindergarten, especially when teaching in the inner city, the buckets can be protected from vandalism. Problems in bucket gardening, knowing how much to water, I fear we have been over watering as we feared they would dry out all to fast. So far some of my plants do not look as good as they should it makes me sad I am hoping to find a way to pump these few plants up so they can be plentiful.  Benefits have been isolating plants with insect problems and treating them, mulch stays in place, I can move them around the yard to get them the sun/shade they need, protect them from serious storms, load them in the back of the truck and move them as a group take them out when needing to haul! So far my best plants have been one of the jalapeno plants, cherry tomato's, and two small bell pepper plants and producing bell's but are not growing tall enough so far.

My raised beds are a good investment overtime. I have two large beds one with summer squash and one for cucumbers.  I plan on adding one a month, even through the winter months as that will give me 14 by this time next year. I also have two tire potato towers started and doing well.