Grass Hollow Farms
Natural. Organic. Frugal. Simple. Fun. Makers of Mini & Me and Addictives Skin Care Lines
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Container Planting To Attract Butterflies
Every year we have tons of butterflies. I mean so many that car radiators get clogged. Too bad we can't dodge them or teach them to fly away from the roads.
The ideas below are directly from the Better Homes and Gardens website. I love this site because I know nothing about which plants to use. Below are three of my favorites, but you can find more on their website.
The pictures and information below show and tell you which plants to use and how to arrange them. Be sure you choose the correct pot and potting soil. I like Camp Wonder's "Make Your Own Signature Potting Mix & Save!" I think once you give it try, you won't buy Miracle Gro again!
Better Homes and Gardens |
Give Them Something to Eat
While we typically think of attracting butterflies with flowers, don't forget about host plants. Here, fennel is a good way to attract swallowtail caterpillars.A. Bronze fennel (Foeniculum vulgare 'Rubrum') -- 2
B. Nasturtium (Tropaeoleum 'Scarlet Gleam') -- 4
C. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Tricolor') -- 1
D. Sage (Salvia officinalis) -- 1
Better Homes and Gardens |
Go with a Group
This grouping of different kinds of containers, yet planted in the same color palette, draws the eye where a single container would be overlooked.A. Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' -- 4
B. Salvia guarantica 'Black and Blue' -- 2
C. Fan flower (Scaevola 'New Wonder') -- 4
Better Homes and Gardens |
Pick Easy Plants
This container garden is almost no-fail; the white zinnia is extra-easy to grow and the butterflies will appreciate it, as well as the fragrant heliotrope.A. Zinnia angustifolia 'Crystal White' -- 3
B. Heliotrope (Heliotropium 'Marine') -- 2
C. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Brilliancy') -- 1
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Picture Your Baby! Photo Contest
Thanks for all your photos!
I love seeing all these babies and such great photos! I am excited and can't wait to see who wins!
Here are some deadlines and timelines for the contest.
Photos must be submitted to comments@mini-and-me.com by midnight on Sunday, September 30, 2012.
The judging advertising agency will have the finalist chosen by October 6. These finalist will be posted on the Mini & Me Facebook page for voting.
I love seeing all these babies and such great photos! I am excited and can't wait to see who wins!
Here are some deadlines and timelines for the contest.
Photos must be submitted to comments@mini-and-me.com by midnight on Sunday, September 30, 2012.
The judging advertising agency will have the finalist chosen by October 6. These finalist will be posted on the Mini & Me Facebook page for voting.
Monday, September 10, 2012
I Love My Face Cream! Hands Down The Best There Is!
sheknows.com |
Anyway, all this to say that I have spent some money on face creams. I think I have tried them all, in all price ranges. I have bought out ULTA, Lord & Taylor's, Neiman's, Macy's and Walgreens, but narrowed it down to two that worked well on my face.
Lancer, a product only available at Nordstroms (1.6 oz / $50) and ANEW (1.7 oz / $32.00) available only from Avon. Both have helped my skin more than I ever thought possible. They are both good products, but I have two problems: they both leave something on top of my skin, (I had never noticed until I started using natural products. Once you use good natural and organic products, it is amazing how you notice the difference) and they are full of chemicals.
Since we now make natural and organic skin care, we went to work on making the best natural anti-aging, skintone evening, moisturizing, exfoliating, collegen stimulating, hydrating face cream that could be made.
While researching, I learned that I was wasting my money on the high-priced Vitamin C creams. The shelf life of Vitamin C is only about 30 days! I was so dissappointed. I knew then it is not the Vitamin C that was being absorbed into my skin and helping it, it was chemicals. (Sad face)
I also learned that the chemical drying agents and preservatives are designed to stay on top of my skin and make it feel smooth. In some cases, ingredients are used that "fill in" the wrinkles, cracks and crevices on top of your skin instead of exfoliating and stimulating collegen and elastin production from the inside! I was being cheated. Yet another reason to make my own for our brand.
We did it and it is awesome! It took a few trials to find the one that is awesome. We have since brought it a few steps further by making one that is beneficial for people who are allergic to Vitamin C, one that is anti-inflammatory for people with special issues like acne or Rosacea, and one super hydrating for those with painfully dry skin.
10% Vitamin C Face Cream by Addictives |
If you are looking for a "make me look younger, skin feel smoother, healthier, more even, brighter, firmer" give us a try. Have special skin issues? Send us an email or leave a comment below.
Friday, September 7, 2012
The Best Homemade Cleaner Ever - Shower & Tub
It all started with a casual glance. I saw it and I thought “This is not right!” It was soap scum on MY shower doors. Lord have mercy, can’t have that!
In keeping with my fairly recent decision to make my own
cleaners, I sat in front my computer on a quest for the best of the best
homemade soap scum removers.
I found what seemed like a bazillion of them. I settled for
three different recipes and after a small try of each, I quickly determined the best one for me. You
see, I am not a scrubber. I like the product to do the work, not me. Ok, I
will do
it, but to work hard enough to break a sweat while cleaning the bathroom is definitely not me.
http://www.food.com/recipe/tub-and-shower-magic-434275 |
I would like to give credit where credit is due. This is
not my recipe and most recipes seem to lead back to Food.com
http://www.food.com/recipe/tub-and-shower-magic-434275). The source, Bobbin, says “This shower cleaner
came from an Everyday Cheapskate e-mail, and it is truly magic, as the title
states. I just tried it and it got the soap scum off my glass shower door with
hardly any scrubbing. It was amazing, as I have tried to clean that door with
various products. It is so easy, too. Try it and you will be sold. Be careful because
a little bit goes a long way. You need a 24-oz. squirt bottle for this.”
The recipe I chose melted the soap scum like butter. It was so easy to clean. I did have to do a little work, but I never broke a sweat and it was so quick, I hardly noticed I was cleaning.
I ended up spraying the entire shower, including the tub. It was awesome, admittedly I was a little excited and proud of myself for finding such a wonder cleaner. About the same as when I made the grease cutter recipe, which I will share later.
So here is The Lazy Housekeeper’s Guide To A Clean Shower & Tub:
1. Gather the ingredients:
a. 2
cups White Vinegarb. 1 cup Dawn dishwashing liquid*
*(The original recipe calls for equal parts vinegar and Dawn. I use power Dawn, so I cut it back, also it’s a lot less slippery.)
c. Empty clean spray bottle
d. Funnel
2. Make The Lazy Housekeeper’s Shower & Tub Cleaner:
a. Heat the vinegar until it is hot. I used the microwave.
b. Pour the hot vinegar into the spray bottle.
c. Add the Dawn to the vinegar in the bottle.
d. Shake gently until the ingredients are mixed.
3. Gather your tools.
*Ok, so you don’t need the scrubber and mitt, but this is
The Lazy Housekeeper’s way…
a. Scrubber
(this is required if you are under 5’2”, it helps reach the entire shower wall
and also helps with the tub so you don’t have scrub on your knees.)b. Loofah mitt (it scrubs on one side, polishes on the other. Ok, it’s not what it’s designed for but works for me!)
c. The Lazy Housekeeper’s Shower & Tub Cleaner.
4. Get Cleaning!
a. Spray everything, including the faucets, showerhead, everything
*Be prepared for the smell, vinegar has a very, ummm, strong smell.
b. Go get something to drink, you’ve work hard relax for a little bit, have a cookie…
c. Take a shower. Ok, this is what I do. I get in the shower, put on the mitt using the scrubber side for the tough stuff and the soft side for the spout and nozzles. I use the extended handle scrubber for the places that are out of my reach and the sides of the tub.
d. Wash it all down. This is where the hand held shower sprayer comes in very handy. Just rinse it all off.
e. Take a shower! Wash off all that hard work.
5. Spray the shower with The Lazy Housekeeper’s Daily Shower Cleaner. Recipe on the next installment of…
Monday, August 27, 2012
Bless Her Heart
Bless Her Heart, to get the full understanding of the
phrase you have to hear or say with a Texas twang with four syllables:
Bless Hur Ha-art
Yep, it’s a Southern thang.
Photo credit: school.familyeducation.com |
As I was writing my blog in my head while driving, I was
thinking about my 14-year-old’s first day of High School. Last night she was so
nervous she was convinced she had a fever. This morning she was up early and
walking around the house with her backpack on about an hour before the bus was
scheduled to arrive; talking non-stop.
My heart was overwhelmed for her and I immediately knew the
best thing I could do for her (and for me) at that moment was to pray. The
first words out of my mouth were “Bless her heart, Lord.”
As I prayed for Him to guide her through
the day, to go before her and lead the way, I practiced telling her, in my
head, to remember who she is and as she meets new people choose those she wants
to associate with carefully.
She has her father’s genes (bless hur ha-art) and she will have no
problem being sound in who she is, so I pray her interactions with others will
be tempered with humility and respect. Please Lord, PLEASE. (We are working on the missing Filter Gene,
you know the one. The one that stops you from blurting out the first thought
that comes to your brain? Yep, that one.)
As our children grow, we don’t stop teaching, training,
worrying, crying or following the bus to school (ok well maybe we stop actually
following the bus to school, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to).
So today to every woman sending her child off to their first day at a new school, I know your pain and I say Bless Your Ha-art.
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is
old, he will not depart from it.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Picture Your Baby! Questions?
photo credit: idiva.com |
The finalists will be chosen by an advertising representative from a firm here in San Antonio. There will be no names or photographer credits on the pictures turned over to the judge and no employee of the firm is eligible (sorry). Finalists will be posted on Facebook for voting by our fans. In order for the votes to count, each person must have "liked" our Facebook page.
I would love to be the mom that walks in the store and says "that's my baby" as I pick up the spray and show everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) in the store, because I would. I would go overboard without shame. Going up and down every isle making sure every customer recognizes the beauty and talent of my very beautiful child as I remind them of Drew Barrymore as the little girl in the Coppertone ad. Sad, I know, but true.
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