Giving Back this Season :: Locally, Nationally or Globally Making a Difference

 



This year, why not make a big impact in someone else's life? There are many ways you or your family can shine a light this season locally, nationally or even globally.

Every year, the boys and I help in some facet of our community. By doing so, I hope to instill a lifelong understanding that helping others in not only Godly, but also an important component of human nature. To watch those in need, when at one time, our family has been in their shoes, is something intolerable. To know the kindness of strangers who helped us our first year in California, is a blessing. To reciprocate that, is yet, another blessing.  

This year, I've worked with The Toy Place and Ellis Home & Garden of Longview to set up a giving tree for Buckner Family Services' a Buckner Family Christmas program. In doing so, individuals in East Texas can visit either location and pick a tag from our trees, shop at The Toy Place for gifts, and leave them there for wrapping and delivery to Buckner by December 11th. If families would rather make a monetary donation for toys, they can call The Toy Place and they will gladly assist you over the phone. (The Toy Place 112 Johnston St, Longview, TX 75601 (903) 753-8741, Ellis Home & Garden3110 N Eastman Rd, Longview, TX 75605(903) 663-9111 )

I am honored to be a part of this wonderful program and excited two of my favorite stores want to support such a fantastic community driven organization and the families they represent.

In addition, my Junior Master Gardener program will be holding a Fall Can Food Drive to assist one of city's most revered ladies, Mrs. Horaney, with her annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. If you are interested in starting a food drive at your work for the JMG to collect and deliver to the master drive, please let me know and I will provide you with a box and signage. We will collect our food drive items until November 22nd and then deliver to the Thanksgiving Food Drive on November 25th.

If you don't live close by for our food drive, there are still ways to help. You could partner with a food drive in your area by collecting canned goods and non-perishables or you could volunteer your time to help sort and organize all the donations. If you would prefer a more personal way to help, contact your local food kitchen. Those is need would love to see a smiling face!

 

On a much larger scale, one of my favorite ministries, Samaritan's Purse, has a wonderful opportunity for your children to serve other children through Operation Christmas Child. Help your children bless their peers this year by packing a shoebox filled with goodies they, themselves, love.  All child-friendly and toy-filled shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child are due nationally the week of November 18th - 25th. You can, however, visit your local Lifeway Store and check for their delivery date. The Longview store is accepting shoe boxes on November 16th.

These are just a few ways to help others this season. In December, I will be sharing another frugal way to reach out and lend a helping hand.

What I Did Wednesday :: Gardening with Children

There is something magical about watching a child harvest the first produce they have ever planted. A sense of awe overtakes their little being as they realize those tiny seeds they sowed weeks ago have become something real. As they pluck the first squash or pick the first pea, I don't think the immediate thought that crosses their mind is I can eat this!, but rather more along the lines of Look how yellow, It's so smooth, or I grew this? Their curiosity is peaked; the simple wonderment sparkles in their eyes.

Earlier this year, I began a Junior Master Gardener program for our 4H club and county. The children have learned about seed dispersal, plant needs, photosynthesis, monocots and dicots, and plant parts. We will be discussing propagation at our next class. But beyond the book lessons, the gardeners are quickly gaining the knowledge of working their own garden plot: watering schedules, beneficial insects and pests, planting requirements, and now - harvesting.

Tiny cherry tomatoes, a large yellow squash, and fresh basil were all plucked from the garden this morning. The children await the ripening of the okra, peas, and peppers. They talk amongst themselves about which dishes they hope to create from their bounty. Already anticipating the fall planting, they speculate about which vegetables will make the final list.

I believe if we had a larger plot, they would take their wares to market. I can visualize these little entrepreneurs informing customers about their organic produce hand tended by none other than themselves. I can see them tallying their sales and finding a cause to donate too, as well as reinvesting in their garden.

Our little garden is by no means perfect. I'm sure we've made mistakes in our layout and our plantings, yet, to the gardeners, there is no finer plot. I feel blessed to be able to lead these children, but also to learn alongside them.

Simple Living :: Creating Your Own Terrarium

Terrariums harken back to the Victorian era where ladies would create magnificent flora displays to showcase their horticultural talents. Beyond these small-scale man made worlds, the Victorians created the Conservatory in which hot tropic grasslands, humid rainforests, arid deserts, and even barren alpine hills were recreated inside. Where as modern terrarium containers include glass jars or open bowls, the Victorian terrariums where miniature replicas of their beloved Conservatories.

I recently taught my Junior Master Gardener class how to make terrariums. Terrariums offer a unique gardening experience in which children and adults learn to recreate a biome and the water cycle, as well as maintain a habitable world. The children thoroughly enjoyed this project. One child added a small frog to his terrarium.

Enjoy the beauty of plants indoors this summer by creating your very own!

First, you'll need to gather the following items, all of which can be found at your local gardening supply store: potting soil, pebbles or pea gravel, activated charcoal, and spagnum moss. You will also need plants for your terrarium. Some of my students brought plants from the garden: clover, ivy, and a variety of grasses and moss. Others bought their plants: ivy, ferns, and succulents. If you use succulents, instead of potting soil, you will need a specialized succulent soil. You will also need a container. The best containers are those made from glass. You can select an ornate jar or a over-sized pickle jar; it is really up to your preference. Succulents work best in an open glass bowl.

Let's begin!

First, ensure your jar or bowl is clean. Then, place approximately one inch of pebbles in your jar. The pebbles will act as your drainage.

Next, add 1/2 inch of activated charcoal. Make sure to not mix the pebbles and the charcoal. The charcoal is the filter for your little biome.

After the charcoal, add one to two inches of spagnum moss. You should pack it down slightly. The moss acts as your soil barrier.

Then, add one to two inches of potting soil. This will depend on the size of your jar and plants. Again, slightly pack this down. By now, you should easily be able to see the four layers of your terrarium through the glass.

This is actually my favorite part: you may now add your plants! After I get them planted, I like to add a few pebbles and moss pieces to the top for decoration.

Don't forget to add moisture to your terrarium. You want to ensure your plants are thriving, but do not over water. You can leave your terrarium open or closed, but you need to check on it daily for the first month. Make adjustments as needed. If you add an insect or small reptile, make sure you are feeding it properly.

I hope you enjoy this project as much as my students did!

I've started to get terrarium fever - I'm experimenting with this jar, as I've planted forget-me-nots in it. I'll update on their growth.