Ringing in the New Year with Indoor Projects

January 3, 2016 / Earth and Oils / 10 Comments

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope your holiday season was wonderful! As always, it’s over as fast it comes. It was a whirlwind December at work, (as usual–always choatic at the end of the year), and with pretty much the first half of the year supposedly just as crazy, I thought I would concentrate on some small indoor projects that hopefully keep my sanity in check!

Christmas in our household was wonderful. My daughter got everything on her list from Santa. The only thing we didn’t get was snow.

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After 8 weeks of germination, the apple seed my daughter brought home from school has finally been repotted. I hope it becomes a seedling in a couple of weeks.

Here’s hoping something starts sprouting soon!

I also purchased two amaryllis bulbs on clearance at the store right before Christmas, so I decided to try and see if they will blossom for me now. These two were a little different from the amaryllis I potted last year. I had a disc of dry medium in the box, and I had to add two and a half cups of water. It became dirt right before my eyes! LOL

Warning: This is not brownie mix!

So, here’s hoping they bloom for me!

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The weather was warm right up until Christmas, and then this past New Year’s weekend, it became cold, snowy and windy. We really only have a dusting on the ground, but the wind chill really gets you!

Now is the time to start sketching out your garden plans. What do you have in mind? What are some of the projects you would like to complete this year? Stay tuned for my list!

What am I going to do with that bloomin’ Amaryllis bulb?!

February 16, 2015 / Earth and Oils / 1 Comment

OK, this post is coming much later than I wanted it to. This ended up being an event filled weekend for me. With more snow and sub-zero temperatures for the past three days, along with being sick, a toddler mishap at an indoor bounce house that included a very bloody nose, and furnace issues that come with too much ice build-up from these crazy temperatures, it has not been the most ideal weekend for me. I was looking forward to a relaxing long weekend, too!

Now, it’s time to regroup and get back to normal. Some what I guess.

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine’s Day– between being sick and blizzard conditions, my husband and I elected to stay in and celebrate Valentine’s Day by exchanging cards and eating a heart-shaped pizza. It was good!

This was happening yet again on Saturday for us:

My front yard looks like an overflowing bowl of soup!

So, while I sat inside going stir-crazy, I started moving things around as usual. Pictures on walls and plants and other “dust catchers” moved to other places. I bought some pretty tulips to brighten up the bleak white landscape around us.

I then happened upon my pretty Amaryllis that has long withered-away at this point. I then wondered, “Can I still use this bulb?” I hated to just throw it out!

My Amaryllis now after I cut it down.

So, I did my research, and yes, you can re-bloom your Amaryllis bulbs.

Here’s how:

At this point, the bulb is exhausted and needs some rest. Cut down the stalk of the flowering bloom. DO NOT CUT the leaves. They provide the food for the “exhausted” bulb.

*Don’t cut the leaves like I did above. It’s wrong. I got a little cut-crazy and cut my whole stem off. Apparently you aren’t supposed to do that. Just cut down the stem that the blossom was on, not the leaves. Another example of Learning As I Grow!! I am still going to try to salvage this bulb.

Put the bulb in a sunny window and fertilize it.
Once spring has come and the threat of frost is gone, plant it outdoors in a sunny location.
In the fall, wait for the frost to hit the leaves until they are brown and then cut the leaves.
Bring the bulb inside and keep it in a cool dry place for 8-10 weeks. And then re-pot the bulb and water it.
Don’t water it again until you see new growth.

I hope this helps anybody who is interested in keeping their Amaryllis bulbs instead of getting rid of them.

Has anybody made the mistake that I did and cut all the leaves off, and was still able to salvage the bulb? Please let me know!

A Natural Pause

January 9, 2015January 9, 2015 / Earth and Oils / Leave a comment

It’s been awhile since I have had a chance to post a “Natural Pause”! I just wanted to update you on my Amaryllis that I potted from the kit that I purchased a few weeks back. It has bloomed! And quite fast at that! I was very nervous about this actually blooming, but according to the directions, it’s actually ahead of schedule!

What a beautiful plant to brighten the long days of winter that include sub-zero wind chills and lake-effect snow!

Here it is in all its glory! Enjoy your day!