A Glimmer of Hope

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Our beautiful Avocado Tree died this year. We are devastated. 3 years we have babied this plant. Bringing it inside during winter, making sure it did not get too much afternoon sun in the summer. It grew big, healthy and strong. Until we brought it in for the cold weather this year.

We refused to give up hope.. Until the top little limbs grew dry and snapped easily. Our little tree was lost. Refusing to be defeated, we decided to try again. Zoey began saving seeds from avocados. Our theory to the dead tree was that perhaps it had outgrown the container it was in. We were hoping the tree would only grow to the capacity of the planter, staying that size instead of growing into a large tree. Where we live is prone to very mild winters, however, it is not uncommon to have short bursts of freezing cold temps. It it got too big, we would not be able to bring it inside and protect it. The last ones that were in the ground died when we had icy weather.

We finally took our little, sad, dead tree back outside today. I figured it was gone, but did not have the heart or the time to pull it up out of the planter. While we were cleaning up some carrots from the garden, I looked over at the tree, sighing... but look!

Just when we thought all was lost with our little tree ... a little glimmer of hope came up through the ground! All is not lost!

We can apply this to life.

1. Things are not always as they seem.
2. Sometimes things do not go according to plan. Do not give up.
3. Try and try again!
4. Always have a back up plan.

Read how we got our avocado started by clicking the pic!

Maybe we will have avocados yet!

Disclosure: This post contains no affiliate links, However, I am Amazon Affiliate and may receive a small compensation for including links on my blog. Buying through my links is not necessary, just appreciated. Amazon does not charge extra for linked items recommended by their affiliates.  I only recommend products that I use and trust OR plan on using in the future. Please buy responsibly and do your own product research before buying anything online. 

Make Your Own: Colored Craft Noodles

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Making colored noodles and rice for art projects is easy! 

For one pound of noodles in a single color, you need a gallon sized baggy, a 1 cup of Rubbing Alcohol and a about half a bottle of liquid (NOT JELL) food coloring. 

Hold baggy open, add alcohol, squirt in food coloring, shake baggy to mix it up, and then add your noodles. Fold baggy over before zipping (careful not to spill the liquid). Lay baggy flat on a surface that you will not mind getting colored if the baggy leaks. 

Flip baggy over every 10 minutes for an hour or until you are happy with the color. 

OVER A BOWL, clip the corner of the baggy and drain out liquid, (you can reuse liquid to color rice or more noodles). 

Pour wet, drained, colored noodles onto a plastic trash bag. I used a fan to help speed the drying process. Move the noodles around every 15 minutes to unsure the bottom noodles get enough air to dry. You will know they are done when they are dry to the touch and sound like dry noodles again. 

Mix up different types and shapes of noodles for fun art projects, or use tubed noodles to make colorful necklaces. 

Rice can be done in quart baggies, just use less liquid.

Ready for the crazy messy pics? 

(You might want to wear gloves if you don't want rainbow hands) 

WORD OF CAUTION! 

DO NOT EAT THESE NOODLES AND/OR RICE! 

They have been colored using Rubbing Alcohol and are NO LONGER EDIBLE! These are for craft purposes ONLY! 

Best noodles for necklaces are Penne Pasta and Rigatoni

Pastas great for craft projects are Farfalle, Rotini, Wagon Wheels, and even these cute little Alphabet pasta shapes. 

Colored Noodles and Rice can also be used for a variety of craft uses. How about an ISPY bottle using rainbow rice and Alphabet pasta! 

Children can also use them for sorting shapes and colors. 

Don't want the mess of making your own? I sell Rainbow Rice and Colored Pasta for only $5 a pound plus shipping. Email me at bykamay@yahoo.com

Disclosure: I am Amazon Affiliate and may receive a small compensation for including links on my blog. Buying through my links is not necessary, just appreciated. Amazon does not charge extra for linked items recommended by their affiliates. I only recommend products that I use and trust OR plan on using in the future. Please buy responsibly and do your own product research before buying anything online

Trying Potatoes.. AGAIN!

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     After killing almost every potato bucket we have ever tried growing and having last years ground potatoes washed out from under the ground from a flood, we have decided to try again. Yes, we may be a glutton for punishment, but we eat a lot of potatoes! 

     We went to a local feed store, bought Red Seed Potatoes, cut them so each piece had an eye, let them dry for a couple of days. We made deep trenches in the garden and laid the potatoes about 6 inches apart along the bottom of the trench row. We only covered them with a few inches of dirt. When they started to grow and leaves started to show, we would pull a few inches of dirt over them from the side of trench. In a couple of days, when the leaves would pop through the dirt again, we would cover them a little more. Finally, all the dirt from the trench side was mounded up on top of plants. I plan to do it one more time. That way it insures my plants run deep and we hopefully will get more tators this way! Hopefully.. 

     Sorry we didn't get any pictures of the process, I just didn't think to blog about this until I saw they were doing so well. We also have volunteer potato plants popping up all over the garden from the skins of potatoes we have eaten and put into the compost. The compost was tilled into the garden this year. Apparently, it was not all composted. Hubby surprised me for Valentine's Day with a freshly tilled garden! <3 Best present ever! I am going to let the volunteer plants stay where they are and grow through out the garden. Hopefully we will get some Russet Potatoes as well. 

Want to read about our other Tator Adventures?

Click the Pic! 

     Do you grow potatoes? In the ground? In a bucket? Hay bails? Let us know how it turned out for you, or perhaps how we can NOT manage to kill them again! ;) We love your comments! 

Disclosure: I am Amazon Affiliate and may receive a small compensation for including links on my blog. Buying through my links is not necessary, just appreciated. Amazon does not charge extra for linked items recommended by their affiliates. I only recommend products that I use and trust OR plan on using in the future. Please buy responsibly and do your own product research before buying anything online.