On Hiatus

My apologies, but I am taking a leave of absence. I'm not sure how long I will be away. My husband was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and we are currently working through his treatments. I wish I could read all of my blogging friends' posts, but I hope you understand why I have been absent.

I hope to be back sooner rather than later. So goodbye for now.

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A Season for Giving

During this holiday season, go "green" through the gift of service.

The owner of The Wright Scoop blog, Sylvia Hoehns Wright, was given a 30-day challenge of giving where she solely focused on "giving events" through sharing her skills, personal time, knowledge, and talents with great success and response. >>Read More

On the homefront, I had a teaching moment with our daughter that involved the "gift of kindness." My daughter was having troubles at school with some girls who were being mean. She didn't think she could have feelings of love for them. I challenged her to an experiment to "kill them with kindness" for five days through kind words and deeds and see what would happen. I asked her to do whatever she could to replace her feelings of anger with those of love for them. She decided to start with prayer to give her strength and guidance. From there, she found ways to "serve" them. She smiled at them. She spoke kindly of them. She spoke kindly to them. She found ways to offer them her assistance. By the end of the five days, we talked about what happened. Three of the girls who gave her troubles at school, were now her "friends". The other two needed more than five days :)

Kind words and deeds can lift burdens and gladden hearts. The opportunities for service are limitless. You can:

• rake an elderly friend's yard
• share your garden by donating vegetables or making vegetable soup for a friend
• shovel someone's driveway and walk
• wheel your neighbor's garbage to the curb for garbage pick-up day
• find a trait in a person you admire and let them know in a short note
• smile at them
  

A friend of mine at "Trying 2 Stay Calm" and "Book Giveaways" wanted to bring the joy of Christmas to needy families. She chose a couple of families to anonymously provide a Christmas to and solicited donations from several companies. She was pleasantly surprised by the response she received from these companies and she was not only able to help a couple of families, but FIFTEEN! She wrapped all of the gifts, dressed up as an "elf", placed them on their doorsteps, rang the bell, and ran. >> Read More

We may not have the opportunity to do as my dear friend did, but even kind words and deeds can lift burdens and gladden hearts. One true key to happiness is to labor for the happiness of others.

I plan to take on the 30-day challenge. How about you? I'd love to hear some of your stories.

Plant Profile

POINSETTIA
Euphorbia pulcherrima

Category: Tropical / Tender Perennial

Height: 12-24 inches (45-60 cm)

Spacing: 24-36 inches (60-90 cm)

Hardiness: USDA Zone 9-11

Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

Bloom Color: Red, lemon, pink, white, orange, cream, or marbled

Bloom Time: Late fall to mid winter

Propagation: From herbaceous stem cuttings

Seed Collecting: Does not seed

What do you think of when you see a Poinsettia plant? Christmas, of course! Did you know that 85% of all potted plants sold during the holiday season are Poinsettias? Euphorbia pulcherrima is native to Mexico and is a shrub or small tree typically reaching heights of 10 feet or more. They were introduced into the United States in 1825 by Joel R. Poinsett (the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico) who discovered the plant while wandering the countryside of Mexico in search of new plant species. He took cuttings from the plant and grew them from his greenhouse in South Carolina. The Botanical name of the Poinsettia is Euphorbia pulcherrima, but William Prescott, a historian and horticulturist, renamed it "Poinsettia" in honor of Joel Poinsett.

Although the plant is a perennial in its natural habitat, outside its natural environment, it is commonly grown as an indoor plant. Laypeople often think the colored part of the Poinsettia is the flower, but in all actuality they are colored leaves (or bracts). The flowers of the plant are the yellow clusters (cyathia) found in the center of the bracts. How do you know if you purchased a fresh Poinsettia? If there is little or no yellow pollen showing on the flower clusters, then it is fresh. When the pollen sheds, the plant will soon begin dropping its colorful leaves.

The plant is cold sensitive and exposure to low temperatures can damage the bracts and leaves. Place it in indirect sunlight away from contact with cold windows. To keep the plant in bloom, the ideal daytime temperature is 60-70 F and at night, around 55 F. High temperatures will shorten the plant's life.

Water only when the surface is dry to the touch. Punch holes in the container's foil so water can drain into a saucer (do not leave the plant standing in water). Fertilize the plant only if you keep it past the holiday season by applying fertilizer monthly. Do not fertilize when it is in bloom. Here is a recommended chart for watering your plant:

Pot Diameter | Fluid Ounces of Water Per Pot:
4 inches | 6 ounces
5 inches | 9 ounces
6 inches |12 ounces
7 inches | 16 ounces
8 inches | 20 ounces

Keep the Faith

If this mum could talk, what would it say? What story would it have to tell? It has withstood snow and even cold temperatures dipping into the low teens. Despite its adversity, it keeps holding on with its head held high searching for the sun's warmth--it just doesn't want to give up.

At times we will face moments of difficulty. If we could be like this mum, steadfast and immovable through life's storms, think of the strength, courage, and knowledge we would gain. We would not be afraid of the darkness, but rather we would push forward with our heads held high until we saw the light.

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving tomorrow with family and friends! This turkey is desperately looking for a ride out of here. Any takers?

"Help! Save me! I'll even pay you!"