Real Tips for Christmas Trees

We are now officially in the holiday season!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I love this time of year! I have been busy with family and and decorating for Christmas with my 5 year old who is so excited she can’t even contain herself!

It all started Wednesday night, when my daughter was hit with her first stomach bug. Of all times, the day before Thanksgiving. But, we weathered the storm, and thank goodness 5 year olds bounce back better than someone my age– we had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we even made it down to my parents house the next day for yet another dinner and to celebrate my mother’s birthday!

However, the days caught up with her, and she still wasn’t 100 percent. Saturday, she was left very tired and with an “unsettled” tummy. You could tell in her eyes that we needed to take a break. All she wanted to do was “put up the Christmas tree”.

Now, the week before, I did put up my artificial pencil tree in my living room and we decorated another small artificial tree for the empty room upstairs. But, she wanted to get the “Real” Christmas tree. The one with all the presents underneath!

That, we decided, would be a REAL tree. We put that one in our finished basement. My husband and I decided last year that we wanted to start a tradition by going down to the little tree stand a few minutes from our house and purchasing a real tree.

Now, this was new to me. The last time I had a real tree was ions ago when I was a little girl and my dad would go cut one from the woods on our property. They didn’t do that long. Soon after, they purchased an artificial tree and that was that!

I was nervous, however, that it was too early for a REAL tree. So, I sought advice and researched the subject. We even asked the friendly Christmas tree farm man at the tree stand. Here is some friendly advice for anyone looking into getting a real Christmas tree for the first time:

Is after Thanksgiving too early to purchase a tree?

No! But only if you pick the right kind of tree.

Here are a list of trees that can be considered as your Christmas tree:

  • Fir trees— Douglas, Balsam, etc. are the best. The most common type of tree you will find at roadside stands and farms. They will not drop their needles quickly if you water them.
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Our Christmas Tree is a Balsam Fir.

  • Cedar — I read that this is one of the best types of trees as well to have as a Christmas tree. They last forever.
  • Cypress — Another great tree that is said to last a long time!

How often do you water the tree?

Daily! Avoided needles dropping by watering your tree daily! You may have to scrap the cap of sap off the end if you notice the tree is not taking in water. The cut part of the tree is prone to the “pitch” capping over. Be watchful.

Don’t get a pine tree. Ever. 

Pine trees don’t keep their needles long at all. Unfortunately, they start falling off after a week!

Well, I hope this little guide helps. If you have any other information, please pass along! I am always looking to broaden my knowledge of horticulture in general!

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Twinkling tree and Christmas village courtesy of my daughter!

The Great Vase Brigade

Good Morning, everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend. I know I did. It was good to relax and get away for a couple of days. We have been doing so much work on our house, along with just being busy in general! It’s hard to relax when you know something has to be done. Even getting away to a hotel or somewhere for one night forces you to relax.

Now that the holiday is behind us, it’s time to get back to work!

When you think about putting flowers in a vase, what are some of the first flowers that come in to mind for you? Roses? Carnations? Daffodils? Yes! And they are all great flowers! I personally love fresh cut flowers around the house in the dead of winter. It makes things so cheery and bright!

Well, how about thinking outside of the box when it comes to flowers in your vase?

Rule #1Carry a pair of small clippers with you at all times. You never know when you will find the most perfect branch of blossoms, or grass! I have a pair of Fiskars I bought especially to keep in my car so when I am driving by a wooded area of road, (that is NOT anybody’s property), I can pull over quick and snip a few.

Rule #2Always have at least two vases full of your finds around your house. The more, the merrier! Don’t be afraid to be creative!

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We have a good mix here. L to R: Hydrangeas, Grass, Iris’

Above are three vases full of things that really caught my eye.

Vase #1– Hydrangeas — I bought these at the supermarket. I like cutting seasonal flowers, but unfortunately we don’t have these in bloom yet, so I just purchased them!

Vase #2 — Grass — I saw this grass on the side of the canal bike path. It looks a lot like wheat to me! I was so intriguing, I just had to cut a few stems. So simple and beautiful.

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Vase #3 – Iris

The yellow iris’ are literally right from the canal, next to the fuzzy cattails. I couldn’t help myself and cut a few stems. I liked that they were something you couldn’t find in a flower shop.

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Another great option for a vase are Bachelor’s Buttons. These babies grow like crazy! I cut some for a couple of vases. They last forever!

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Vase #4 – Lilacs. I just love them, so they have to make a cameo.

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So, I hope this post gives you some ideas on being creative when it comes to the vase. Anything can go if you like it!

One more pic, totally unrelated to vases, only because it’s my favorite landscape to photograph:

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Have a great rest of the weekend!

 

 

 

Got”chia”: The Chia Pet Chronicles

I have been slacking big time on getting posts out in a timely manner. It just hasn’t been happening because Life happens.  Work, kids, family, etc. Lots going on, and that’s not a bad thing! We did finally get some snow this week. I live north of the city, and we never get anywhere near the lake effect snow that the city and south towns get. It really does depress me, because I like to play outside in the snow! Oh well, we are forecasted to get some starting tomorrow, so here’s hoping for a few inches!

My company now allows for flex hours, and I go into work an hour later and leave an hour later. My nights are already pretty compressed — trying to get dinner, play with my daughter  and then start the bedtime routine. But now as my daughter gets older, I feel like my weeknights are flying by faster than ever. So, I have to admit I have been neglecting my indoor plants a little bit. Last year I was learning about my plants and wanting to purchase more, but time seems to be lacking for me to even really get excited about the whole endeavor. I wanted to change that!

I purchased something before Christmas that I never really EVER thought of buying. I mean, I see it on TV all the time around the holidays, but you never really buy the thing, do you?!! Yes, I did.

I bought a Chia Pet. But not just any Chia Pet. The Jurassic World version of the Chia Pet. And of course, it was my daughter who wanted the thing, and of course, I bought it.

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It also didn’t dawn on me that the “chia” in Chia Pet meant the chia seeds I put in my overnight oats were one in the same!

So, I followed the directions, and put the seeds in a quarter cup of water and let them soak for an hour. After the hour, you can start spooning/basting the seeds on the clay form. I tried to spoon them on the top like the picture, but it didn’t work so well for me. (Note: I accidentally threw out the plastic tray that came with the Chia, so I had to use one of my baking dishes.)

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Ok, so obviously mine did not look pretty. Big shocker, it looked nowhere near like what you see on the box. I know this was my first time trying one of these, so I gave myself a break and just let it be.

Now it says to keep watering it everyday by placing water in the hole on top of the clay form. They said to take the left over water in the bottom and put it back in the clay piece, but that did not happen for me. It was pretty much evaporated every day, and I couldn’t get the seeds on top to stay moist.

But, to my surprise, after a few weeks, the bottom half started to sprout, and I was pretty excited about it.

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But then, after a while, even though they did grow well on the bottom half, it started also getting moldy because of the moisture content down there. And on the top like the box shows, NOTHING happened.

What it also says in the instructions is that you can keep using this clay form over and over, but after I finally gave up on the this thing, I tried to wash the seeds off to give it another shot. It was like trying to scrub concrete off something. It didn’t happen.

So, I threw it out. The whole thing. No more Chia Pet. To be honest, I could find many other ways to waste $15 bucks. So, I will just stick to enjoying the holiday commercials.

 

 

Seasonal Decor: Feather Trees

Happy first day of winter! Can you believe it’s three days until Christmas? It came so fast this year, and the fact that it has been so warm around here doesn’t help either. It’s going to be almost 60 degrees tomorrow, and the extended forecast looks pretty mild. Thanks again, El Nino!

Well, I am thankful to still be exercising outside and not stuck on the “dreadmill” because of the frigid weather. It does make the dark days a little easier I guess! I have had plenty to do inside the house, I put up three Christmas trees this year!

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This is my pencil tree in my living room.

I also decorated my beloved feather tree.

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My daughter decorated my feather tree this year.

What is a feather tree you ask?

A feather tree is the original artificial Christmas tree! They originated in Germany in the late 19th Century when the people of the time where worried they were cutting down too many trees for the holiday, so they used goose and turkey feathers and made fake Christmas trees instead.

Feather trees come in a variety of colors, and can be used year-round. I decorate mine for every holiday from Christmas to St. Patrick’s Day. I like to keep some sort of decorations up even after Christmas– transitional decor as I like to call it. I am going for a winter woodland theme this year, and so I purchased three more green feather trees. Their simple, primitive beauty is what I love so much.

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My new green feather trees are part of my Nativity scene this year.

You can pair them with pine cones or other conifers for a great seasonal look! There is so much you can do with them, and you can get them for a really good price at craft stores.

Natural looking decor that lasts year-round. What is better than that? Gardeners are nature lovers, and I can’t think of a better thing to decorate your house with. There are many ways to “dress” up your feather trees all depending on the time of year. Take some time to read more about feather trees and make them part of your home decor today!

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year!

Thank you again for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate it, and appreciate any feedback you have for me!