poison ivy an other lessons.

My cyber friend Marjorie has inspired this next post. I use the term cyber friend because I only met her in real life one time, but we talk online quite often. If we lived closer I am sure that we would be more than just cyber friends.

I feel a bit itchy right now and despite the title of today's post I am not infected with poison ivy. yet. Last summer I discovered poison ivy in my backyard. I discovered it the wrong way. I was clearing out a patch of overgrown weeds in my yard I was simply pulling everything out and throwing it in the yard waste pile. Days later the first red bumps started showing up. Within two weeks I had a full blown breakout. My arms, and thighs had seen the worst of it. When it wasn't clearing up and causing physical pain when I walked I went to the doctor. After a shot and a five day steroid treatment it was cleared up. Weeks later Paul attempted to clear the brush and while he thought he was being safe he still broke out. And again at the end of the summer we both got hit again. You would think by this poit we would learn something. We have tried cleaning out the brush with long sleeves and wearing gloves. We have thrown out the gloves after use and immediately take cold showers (hot showers let the oil in open pours while cold showers keep pores closed and helps rid the oils). And yet we continue to have breakouts.

Today I took the kids out back and showed them wear the ivy grows. I would not wish this discomfort on anyone, especially my kids. We are going to try some expensive chemical treatments on the areas that we have detected. I want the kids to play freely in our backyard without the fear of getting infected.

What have I learned from this experience? Be careful! Honestly, after the first out breakout I thought I was being careful. The reality is that poison ivy is ugly and painful. I am sure that I will breakout this summer, but I am going to do the best I can to avoid it.

Tips for my readers regarding poison ivy:

• poison ivy has three leaves, but then again so do other plants.
• their leaves are shiny
• poison ivy can be a bush or a vine. We have the vines
• The stem of the vine is hairy-like
• poison ivy thrives in acidic soil. How do you know if your soil is acidic? You can buy a test kit or look at what is growing around you. Ever greens are acidic plants. 
• if you come in contact with poison ivy taking a cold shower with non-moisterizing soap is the best way to get most of the oils out.

If you couldn't tell by my previous postings I am a gardener. An amateur for sure. But still over the last few years I have developed a love for gardening. I'm going to focus now on gardening tips. 

Up first Potted Plants. 

Tip for all pots: put rocks at the bottom of your pot. This will do two things: 1. improve the drainage and 2. reduce the amount of soil you need it each pot. Also, when watering plants never water during the hottest part of the day. Either early in the morning or late in the day. (This rule is true for all gardening)

Part 1. What kind of Pot are you using?

Terra cotta - these are my favorites. They look so nice all the time. They truly stand the test of time. They tend not to fade or stain which makes them re-usable year after year. Things to know about terra cotta: 

• The do not retain water very well. It is clay after all and very porous. Plants will need to be watered at least once a day and very thoroughly. Not only should you pour water directly into the soil but you should also fill the saucer that the pot is sitting on. 
• They tend to get heavy, which means that they tend to hold up in high winds. In the past I have placed filled pots going up my front steps with no issues. 
• The real problem is that they are fragile. It doesn't take much to brake one. Not a good thing when you have clumsy kids. 

Plastic pots - also nice, easy on the budget. They also come in a lot more colors and varieties than terra cotta. The disadvantage is that they do fade over time. General tips

• They do retain water. Most of the time you only need to water these plants once every other day and not use nearly as much water as with clay pots. Either pouring into the soil or filling the saucer is usually enough water. 
• Small plastic pots are light, and can blow over on a windy day. Make sure you position your pots in places that are blocked by the wind. Or move them up against a wall on a windy day. 
• Because plastic is more sturdy  and lighter going with plastic is recommended when going for the larger pots/plants. (My blueberry bush is in a giant plastic pot. I don't have to worry about the pot breaking or cracking in cold weather, and it's easier to move than a large clay pot would have been. 

Coated clay pots - a clay pot that is either painted or coated gives you the look of clay with the advantages of plastic. They will be heavy (meaning that if you have a large clay pot it will be difficult to move once you fill it). The coating/paint will allow the pot to retain water better than an untreated terra cotta pot. The best thing is they come in lots of custom designs which could really spice up your landscaping. 

Notes about large pots- If you are using oversized planters take note of it's ability to drain before you start to fill it. Most do not have holes in the bottom which means it will not drain excess water. What does this mean? You must be very careful not to over water your plant. You definitely want to have a thick layer of stones at the bottom on the pot (about 1/3 of the pot should be rocks). If it does have drainage holes then be careful wear you place the pot especially if it doesn't have a saucer. 

Final watering tips: Knowing when to water should be common sense but sometimes it's not. If your new to gardening it's a good idea to check your plants daily. Literally stick your finger in the dirt, if it's dry it needs water. If it's wet don't water. 

Also, look at the plant itself. If it's wilting it maybe drying out. A thorough watering can bring it back to life. Over watered plants will also wilt and turn a bit brown and slimy. If it doesn't seam to spring back after a day or so of sunshine, you may need to repot the plant to get the excess water. 

Well that's it for now. Up next I'll focus more on vegetable gardening. 

2010 to 2011

In 2010 I have so much to be thankful for

• We welcomed into the world my first Nephew
• We sold our house (what a roller coaster ride at best, the showings, the cleaning to keep it show-worthy, the packing up and walking away from a place that we owned for almost 7 full years)
• We bought a new house (the unpacking, the decorating, making plans for room make-overs)
• My son started kindergarten
• My daughter received first Penance. 

I have great joy to speak for for 2010. No major personal tragedies. We trucked through the year like champs. I did my best to be a positive person throughout the year. 

• In 2010 we discovered how much pain can come with poison ivy
• We discovered how awesome it is to have a big backyard
• We hosted our first ever big party (labor day weekend)
• I discovered the cost savings in hanging my clothes outside to dry
• I discovered that aluminum clothes trees are a waste of money (twice)
• Kids riding the bus is so much better than walking them to and from school.
• Having to drive everywhere does have its draw-backs
• Summer movie series is fun
• The Philadelphia zoo is a great place to spend a day, and a one year membership is worth it. 
• A trip to Hershey with my daughter taught me how much she loves to ride the rides. The higher the better. 
• Stephen go his first bike, and we all learned to love the openness of our neighborhood and how easy it is to go for a ride. 
• Decorating for Christmas is so much more fun when you have more space. 
• We took our first family trip to Washington DC and discovered that our kids love the Metro and running around the museums. 
• Catherine loves history
• Stephen loves Star Wars and all things battle related
• David is a master puzzle solver
• Joshua has the mind of an engineer. 

I can't wait for a new year to bring on new adventures.

• in 2011 we will make our first ever trip to Disney (this includes a first plane ride)
• Catherine will receive First Holy Communion
• I will be applying to go back to work
• David and Joshua will enter Kindergarten
• I will build a new garden 
• maybe fulfill our kids dreams of one day going to Dorney Park (which is only five minutes from our house)

Life changes. It happens so fast sometimes you miss the changes. I love that this year is wrapping up. I love that I can say it was truly a good year. I am grateful that it was such a wonderful for year. I can't wait to begin another year and pray that it is as good as the last. 

The best $30 I ever spent.

This week has been a very trying one at best. I wrote earlier about my fight with the cold. I am winning by the way.

My fight with poison ivy? I am losing. back in August I had my first experience with it and it was horrible. I didn't even know I had it in my yard. And about two weeks after I started cleaning out the backyard overgrowth I broke out. It was bad. My legs and arms were covered. After prolonged suffering I went to the doctor and got drugs and a shot. The shot hurt like I couldn't have expected. But after a few days my angry red splotches faded into a lovely map of brownish scars and then faded away completely.
So weeks pass and my husband tries to conquer our overgrowth. He wasn't fully covered and he broke out all over his arms and legs. His clears up and we again attempt to go bring down the poison ivy. I was protected head to toe. As soon as we were done for the day I threw out my gloves and tossed my clothes in the wash.
A week later and the blisters and splotches are coming on. So here we go again.

But really that's not the point of this post. It's been a miserable week for sure. But my boys have been awesome! Only problem is that I scheduled a family portrait for today, and I am far from ready. My nose is a lovely shade of red from all the nose blowing. This years photo will look great with my dried cracked skin. And the breakouts, that's been fun this week too. Meanwhile, my boys.... Their hair was out of control.
I have three boys. And they are "all boy." Meaning, they run, they play, they tackle, they don't sit still for very long. Also, have you seen the price of kids hair cuts these days $12 at the cheap places! A few years ago I discovered the joy and ease of the buzz cut. Why not just shave it off for the summer. It's only hair.
Last Summer I realized that I shouldn't be paying upwards of $40 every few weeks to keep my boys hair tamed. Is is me or does boys hair grow faster? I take Catherine twice a year, and the boys every 3 months. I finally went out and invested in some clippers. I gave it a try in the spring and it turns out buzz cuts are amazingly easy. Later I went out and got a cape to contain the mess. In the spring and summer I take off their shirts stand them on a stool and buzz away. I have come to realize the only thing I still need is trimmers to do the neck and ears. I get by with what I have now, but eventually I would like to have the trimmers.

I'll tell you what. This is so much easier than taking them out to get their hair cut. I will try to learn how to do more than just buzzing, but for now it works. I don't have to wait in line, deal with energetic kids, and I can do it when I feel like it. The clippers paid for themselves in the first use. Since I bought them last spring I figure I have saved well over $100 in hair cuts. Yesterday I cleaned up the twins so they would be ready for todays pictures.
Take a look:

Before (it's really bad around ears and back)

After: boy has a crooked forehead. I had to shave his forehead. :)

Before

After: