Adventures in gardening --Summer 2009

So a year or two ago I bought some plant seeds. I found this one in particular that was a Columbine. (William Guinness Aquilegia...) They are a dark colored flower that looks very unique.
This year I decided to seed two packets in egg cartons with the hopes that I would plant them soon after in the garden. I waited...and waited...and waited. :/ Before long I started to think they just were not going to grow. Finally after much time had passed one tiny, frail little sprout seemed to cling to life all alone out of the two packets of seeds. I decided to rescue this little sprout and nurse it to life. I put it in a larger container and supported it gently with toothpicks. I kept it watered and just the right amount of light. It seemed to respond well as it's leaves took on a darker green color.
I dumped out the rest of the seeds into an old planter, that was on our deck, and before long it began to sprout something. It appeared different and grew faster so I assumed they were just weeds. Most recently I saw that they all seemed to die in that planter and, as I figured, they surely were just some odd weed because I started to see them growing in the cracks of the patio and elsewhere. Just the other day I looked again and noticed that this cute little plant growing in my home looked oddly similar. The leaves weren't exactly the same, the stem wasn't exactly the same, but other than that it seemed that maybe all this time spent nurturing that frail sprout in the hopes that my plant would soon flower was in the end taking extremely good care of a weed. It still looks nicer than those on the patio...but it has been kept inside.

I decided to do a little web-surfing tonight on this "William Guinness Columbine". I have resigned hope that it is in fact the flower growing. However, in addition to my reading I am finding the following: Danger: Seed is poisonous if ingested. Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested. ---Also another note said this:---The plant's seeds and roots are highly poisonous however, and contain cardiogenic toxins which cause both severe gastroenteritis and heart palpitations if consumed as food. However, this plant is better avoided due to its high toxicity; columbine poisonings may be fatal.

*cough*

AHEM...interesting...Nowhere on the packet of seeds does it say this and if it had I would not have purchased them. My source was a gardening site, but beyond that I don't really know and would assume to trust them in the sense that it seems a dire warning. I can only thank God that Jasmine never got ahold of the seed packet prior to planting as they surely would have been in her mouth. Wow...seriously, if this is the case the packet SHOULD say this!!! Perhaps God decided those plants did not need to grow in a house where a certain little girl likes to eat everything she can get her hands on.

Now to find out what this weed is that is growing in my home and make sure it isn't poisonous as well. O_o

***After hours of searching online...and reading through various "weed database sites"...I think it's in the "smartweed" family. Oh the irony. ;) But, honestly I really don't know. The plant growing inside looks so much nicer than those outside, but I'm fairly certain it is the same plant. For now though, I think I'll let it live in my kitchen until it gets messy, ugly, or overgrown. I think it's safe anyway and I guess I am curious to see what it does in case it would shed light on what it is. :) Considering most people wouldn't grow a weed in their home, the plant could have some differences in slight due to the lack of extreme elements.

...however, if you do know what this is and it isn't something that should be indoors let me know ASAP!!!

Family Travel for six.

It's Summer Vacation Planning Time!!!

Most of my friends seem to either have 2 children or 4. Oddly enough it seems like there is a current trend in families now with 6 or more people instead of the old average of 4. Most of the hotel industry still has rooms that will "service" a family of 4 and I will try to find rooms for our vacations only to get "You exceed the room capacity by 1(or 2) persons". Sometimes it will even say I need two rooms. The challenge I've found is that I rarely see "ajoining rooms" anymore. I used to work in the hotel industry and at least one of them had many options for adjoining rooms.

Some of my friends and relatives say "Don't tell them how many kids you have and just get a standard room." I understand their point of view...especially since my oldest is 8 and in prior years the kids were all quite small and didn't require as much space as an adult. However, my conscience said that it went against integrity to omit the full truth of who is staying in the room to save a few dollars. I know that I can't force others to feel the same way as me so it has been hard to express my feelings and not sound like I am judging those who choose to do the suggested option. I would many times though call the hotel manager and find out what my options were and mention that my children were very small and see if it would be allowed. This would sometimes be ok at some places and not at others, but I felt better getting permission first...especially since many times the fine print says they reserve the right to kick you out of your room and keep payment if you break the rules etc.

So...in my searching online this year to find a hotel/vacation destination I stumbled upon a VERY helpful tool and realized that I am NOT alone in my feelings of hotels needing to help families that have more than two kids and not require them to buy a suite MUCH larger than needed or two rooms.

SixSuitcaseTravel.com has lists for every state and a handful of hotels that they have checked that will service a family of 6 at a reasonable rate (as well as many that will hold a family of 8). I felt that I had to pass this on because I used to search Hotel sites every summer for hours on end that said they had rooms for our size...but then got the standard that we exceeded the room capacity etc. and would either have to keep looking or start calling hotels individually.

One other thing I did was contact two people that worked for the Hilton companies (they seem to own or manage MANY different chains) and the lady that responded mentioned that she works for the Homewood Suites division and they have two bedroom suites for a reasonable price that would accomodate our family. I was impressed because they also have discounts if you stay for 5 nights or more and it was around $129.oo/night for a two bedroom king bed suite with two bathrooms, kitchen, and living room. I've paid more than that on a weekend for a standard king room with mini-fridge in La Crosse, WI.

Have a Great Summer Vacation and feel free to comment any of your travel finds, deals, or information!!

~Samantha~

The Lowest Common Denominator

What is “The Lowest Common Denominator”?

• Mathematics: In mathematics, the lowest common denominator or least common denominator (abbreviated LCD) is the least common multiple of the denominators of a set of vulgar fractions. It is the smallest positive integer that is a multiple of the denominators. (Wikipedia and not my forte, in fact I barely understand the language here. ;) )
• Figurative uses: (wikipedia)
  --The term is used figuratively to refer to the "lowest"—least useful, least advanced, or similar—member of a class or set which is common to things that relate to members of that class.
  --The phrase is also used to describe the most basic, least sophisticated level of taste, sensibility, or opinion among a group of people. This is most often used in criticism of art, products or media thought to be aiming itself at such a group, the implied complaint usually being that the subject has been simplified to appeal to a wider audience.
  --The third figurative use is to describe negotiations and agreements which only cover the points where everybody's previous positions coincide.

So, to clarify…I’m not talking about Math here. Math and I go together about as well as an iceberg in the middle of the Sahara Desert. I’ve never been very good with math and have always attributed it to two things. One--not my gift and two--circumstantial result of moving many times in my childhood and experiencing many different school systems and such. I feel like I have a mental block when it comes to Math and my brain is “not interested”. :)

About a month or two ago I had a strange dream. Every once in a while bits and pieces of dreams stick in my mind and I always wonder if they have some sort of application to my life. Near the end of one of these types of dreams I was walking up to an upper floor of a building. We could see the street below. It was a wide street and there was a truck moving an old house on it. We could see buildings around and there were two young (teen) girls sitting by a window looking outside. We were talking together about some situation that was difficult for them and that it was hard for them to pray.

I honestly don’t recall the details of the conversation in full, but I remember that part of my advice to them was “The Lowest Common Denominator”. That despite who or what they were praying about…if it was a person that they couldn’t pray for…or what ever it was…that through all the thick of it there was a Lowest Common Denominator that could bring everyone together in agreement. That maybe they couldn’t pray for a woman that they didn’t like right now, who maybe was very mean or doing bad things, but they could pray for her kids. That they might be protected, that they would find the Love of God in some way, that perhaps even God would use her kids to speak into her life. The discussion went on for a little while and then I was abruptly woken up by one of my kids wanting breakfast. I recall though that the phrase just stuck in my brain and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I don't know if I was meant to write about it, but here it is.

I think there are many times, if we are honest with ourselves, that we have or know someone that we have difficulty praying for. If we consider whatever the lowest common denominator in our relationship to each other is, it may enable us to begin praying through difficult situations or stressful conflicts with people we know, relatives, co-workers, etc. So, it’s easy to say(or think) “God wants us to pray for our enemies” or “God wants us to pray for everyone”, but many times I think there are people we may even intentionally NOT pray for because we say, “God hasn’t lead that person on my heart.” or I just don’t know how to pray for this person and put it off as long as possible. I know I’ve done that with at least one family member.

***I also believe that even if we don’t have a hard time praying for someone that the =LCD= factor would still apply.***

Matthew 6:6
But, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

*Looking for a musical video about Prayer, ran across a duet with Andrea Bocelli. I remember years ago seeing him on a PBS or TV special and loving his voice. He looks much older now.
I think if I heard correctly he is also blind. *If you want the Lyrics search the title in LyricZoo. The search bar is at the bottom of the site.

Andrea Bocelli & Heather Headley - 'The Prayer'

Life lessons in small things.

Have you ever used a Pedometer?

I think many things come to mind depending on the person. Some may have a memory of using one in school or training. Some may be currently using one or have been using one for a long time. My guess though is that the majority of people out there have never used one or may even think they are a wasteful use of money and technology. :)

I recently started a program that I guess isn't really a "program". It's not even a diet either. It's more so a challenge to promote health, exercise, and in turn weight loss. They give you all sorts of free tools to use online to track what you eat and how much you exercise (or activity) each day. It also reccomends using a pedometer and tracking how many steps you take in a day.

Prior to 'the challenge' I never thought I would bother to buy a pedometer. Seemed like an expensive piece of less than quality plastic/technology. I did manage to find one at one of the more inexpensive stores in town that has a limited selection of exercise tools/equipment. *cough*Walmart*cough*

What do you think would be an average number of steps you would take in a day? I don't have any scientific data on "how many steps the average person takes per day" but I can relate my thoughts to my own averages. Some days I have 6-7 thousand steps and other days I have upwards of 12-13 thousand steps. I was surprised...I thought setting a goal of 10,000 steps per day was high.

I've never really considered how many steps I take in a day and I can imagine most people would feel the same way. I found myself remarking at little things like the surprise of how many steps I took just from my bedroom to the bathroom. :)

So I'm guessing by now you are all wondering why I am rambling on and on about 'steps' and a pedometer. Well, I was just sitting at home a couple days into wearing mine and I was reminded of scripture that references God numbering our steps. In fact, in Job it is mentioned three times that God has numbered our steps.(14:16, 31:4, and 31:37-NAS) (I just don't want to know the number of "sits" I take in a day *wink*)

I can hardly imagine that God not only knows how many steps I've taken since I learned to walk, but He knew the exact number of steps I will take in my life here on earth before I was even born. I think given the option though, I wouldn't want to know when my "number's up".

Just another one of those small life lessons you take with you along the way. I guess one thing I could take from this is how much we take for granted in life. Things that come easy tend to become an expectation without consideration. For those that cannot walk or have had to re-learn due to injury or health conditions I'm sure it's another story.

How many steps will you walk today?

Song on my mind today: I will run to you, by Hillsong

Mommy, what is MY number?

A moment spent with my six year old.

This past Thursday evening I was tucking my 6 year old back in bed (who waited up in her bed for me to get home from SAMmy's) when we somehow got on the subject of phone numbers. She wanted to know what her other number was, not the 8758 one, but her 'own' number. I said "honey, you don't have a number, if your friends want to call you they can call the house." Then she said, "I know, but I mean my 'own number' my 'self-own' number." (pointing to her chest) I asked her if she meant 'cell phone' and then tried to explain that most kids don't have a cell phone and she would have to wait until she's older. Then I tried to explain further by describing my phone, talking about who in the family has one, and I think it just wasn't going to make a difference how much I talked about it. :)
She was thinking I was saying 'self own' number and she wanted to know what her 'own' number was, her 'self own' number, the one she owns for herself. After a little while I think she was satisfied in her questions or she was just tired.

Ha Ha...the things kids hear and understand differently.