May 29, 30 & 31

May 29- View

Here's the view I wake up to every morning. It's a good one. 

Bed Canopy + Books = Happiness. ;)

May 30- Sheep

Our new sheep.

May 31- Butterfly

There were lots of monarch butterflies out in the garden this morning.

DIY Soil Sample Test

I've always wanted to get my soil tested but never found the motivation to take a sample to our local extension office because, I might be impatient.  Happily though, I found a DIY solution while reading "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis, thanks to my daughter's recommendation.

Why is it good to know what your soil is made of?  

Soil is the most important component in a successful garden. If you know what your soil consists of you can work on improving it.  


Did you know that worms are a great indicator of soil health?  
If you have at least 10 worms in a cubic foot, chances are you have beneficial microbes and bacteria that make for healthy soil and strong plants.  Good garden soil should consist of 30 to 50% silt, 20 to 30% clay and 5 to 10% organic matter.


To check your soil, this is what you'll need...


Provisions:
1  Quart container (glass jars work great)
1  Tablespoon Calgon water softener
2  C. water
1  Trowel full of dirt

Add all the ingredients to the jar, shake and set aside in a place that won't be disturbed for 24 hours.

Dirty Calgon

After 24 hours...

Sand will immediately start to settle on the bottom, next comes the silt, which will sit on top of the sand.  Clay particles will actually stay in suspension for up to a day and organic matter will float.  Now you can calculate the percentages of your soil make-up.

(thank the good Lord for calculators)

Divide the depth of each layer by the total depth of all three layers.  This is my breakdown:


Total depth:  4"


Sand/silt: 1  1/4" (1.25 divided by 4)  =  31.2%


Clay particles:  2  1/2" (2.50 divided by 4) = 62.5%


Organics:  1/4" (.25 divided by 4) = 6.25%

Basically, too much clay and not enough organic matter, story of my life but, knowledge is power!


I need more humus (compost) to fluff up the clay in my soil, so I'll continue to compost using The Wonderful Worm Tower and the DIY Kitchen Scrap Composter.  No matter what our soil imperfections are, compost can balance almost any imbalance.  Aspiring to loamy, moisture retentive soil is a process, but I like it.  I enjoy being part of the cycle.


FYI:  I decided to speed up the decay going on in my sunken/drunken kitchen scrap bucket with a big bunch of red wrigglers (worms).  They arrive tomorrow (gracias Amazon) and I'll be freshening up their bed with wet, shredded newspaper and ooey, gooey decaying food.  I can't wait :)

Rebecca

Daybook 9

Outside my window- It's supposed to be 30 degrees tonight... Mum had to cover her tomato plants so they wouldn't freeze last night as well.

I am thinking about- I got bit by some kind of Nasty Bug on our camping trip- and it itches like crAZY! :(

From the kitchen- We had some super yummy potatoes for supper. Par-boiled, squashed, and then cooked some more in the oven with coconut oil.

I am creating- I spent part of the afternoon writing & drawing... :)

I am reading- I started an Agatha Christie book over the weekend, but I didn't get very far.

I am hearing- "You Raise Me Up" sung by Lena Park. It's pretty much my Favorite Song Ever. ^_^

I am planning- I'm not quite finished with one of the sketches I was working on this afternoon...

I am wearing- Dark jeans, a blue/black/white shirt, and heels, for no reason. Just 'cause. :D

My hair is- Twisted, and pinned up.

Around the house- Yesterday we got two sheep. One is a lamb, and the other is a ewe who's going to have a lamb fairly soon.

CW Gardener's Moisture & Lip Balm Winners!

Camp Wander's new skin products are every gardeners dream.  Gardener's Moisture moisturizes while soothing and healing your dry, cracked skin (amazing for dry heels!).  The secret?  doTERRA's Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG) essential oils of lavender, lemon and maleluca and other organic ingredients.  


As an added bonus, the combination of lemon and maleluca essential oils make Gardener's Moisture and Gardener's Lip Balm antibacterial and antimicrobial!  

The fragrance is over the top!

And the winners are...

1.  Karen McCleary!
2.  Kelly M. Miller!
3.  Salty Girl!
4.  Wendy Schlensker!










To claim your prize, please email me at rebecca@campwander.com, leave your mailing address and I'll get your Camp Wander provisions on their way!

Congratulations Campers :)

Rebecca!

May 25, 26, 27 & 28 {Camping Trip}

This weekend we went camping along the Big Falls River with a group of friends. 

May 25- Reflection

Leaving home.

May 26- Canoeing

We went canoeing twice.
Altogether we had eleven canoes going down the river. :D

My canoeing buddy, Amanda.

Me.

We were Very Bad, and didn't wear our life jackets. However, the next day we canoed some class two rapids -which was super exciting and fun- so we did wear them that time. :)
We had a smaller group when we canoed the rapids, (only 8 canoes...) and we all made the whole trip without overturning our canoe, except one boat.
And it wasn't Amanda & me- we were awesome. ;P
I didn't bring my camera on the rapids trip- in case we overturned, so no pictures. :/

May 27- Campfire

One of the families in our group had some of those thing-ers that turn the fire different colors when you burn them. Pretty. :)

May 28- River

The Big Falls River. 

Designer Solar Jars with Removable Lid for Filling!

I hope everyone had a great Memorial weekend!  We did, and as always...it was much to short!  

I want to share a very quick project that worked out great this weekend and, is so simple!  All it takes is a preserves jar...in this case, Leifheit 2 Cup jars from Amazon ($16 for 6) and a solar light from Ace Hardware ($1.99).  No glue, no paint, no craft supplies of any sort are needed!

Simply remove the shaft and plastic shade of the solar stick.  Push the round solar panel up through the ring of the jar lid.  The jar lid is equivalent to the size of a wide mouth mason jar.  This will be a very snug fit, no need to glue anything!  Next, twist the ring back onto the jar.  You may have to muscle this part a bit but it can be done!

And now you have a portable and pretty solar light.


I've thought of so many uses for them!  But...

BEST OF ALL???

You can take the lid off and, customize the jar by filling with flowers, sea shells, pebbles, candy, cranberries at Christmas time, candy corn on Halloween etc. etc.!  Change them out to suit the occasion!

Parties, BBQ and weddings 

Centerpieces

Camping:  for the table and the tent

Camper trailers

Night lights

Luminaries for the driveway or garden path

Porch lights

In the car

Great gifts: weddings, bridal showers, birthdays, housewarming gifts

Candles are nice, but not always sensible.  Solar jars can't be blown out by the wind and they're just more user friendly!


That's all there is to it, simple design with so many options!  Let me know what new uses you come up with...can't wait to hear about them!

Rebecca

Wine Bottle Drip System for Unattended Pots

It's that time of year again when gardening is in full swing and vacation plans are too!

The dilemma?  How do I keep everything watered when we go away for a few days?  If my daughters are reading this, they're surely rolling their eyes because they become the slave to my garden when I'm not.

Great for hanging baskets!

The wine bottle drip system doesn't solve ALL my problems but it will alleviate some.  It's best used when we're only gone a couple of days.  The established beds can go without H2O for two days but my flower pots cannot.  We live in crazy WY remember?

This is what I figured out would work best for me...

Cheesecloth (4 layers) and a rubber band.

In California, I've seen marbles placed inside the bottle but I think the water dribbles out too fast.  I like this method best and if you're using a wine bottle, a long, narrow neck is optimal!

Here we go!  Place your water filled bottle where you want it and secure as best you can.  If you look closely, you can see a small trail of tiny bubbles rising...that is slow release...just what I want.

See the bubble trail?

Notice my sophisticated support system?  Prop a rock or two to steady your bottle.  I'm always propping up a rock or two it seems, it's what we do here.  I like sticks in a pinch too.  Get creative and make it work for you with what you have available.

Here's my arsenal for the long weekend.  Large and small bottles for large and small pots.  My daughter's will absolutely love me for this!

Re-purposed wine bottles, water bottles or any kind of bottle used as a temporary drip system works.  I must say, it feels pretty good putting those expensive wine bottles to work too! 

Have a fabulous and safe Memorial weekend...Happy Summer!

Rebecca

CW Gardener's Moisture and Lip Balm Giveaway!

Memorial weekend is finally here and I'm definitely in the mood to celebrate summer!  

SO...I'm giving away FOUR combos of Camp Wander's soon to be famous (*grin*) Gardener's Moisture AND a pot of CW Lip Balm to FOUR lucky campers!

 Super moisturizing and healing...

Gardener's Moisture is infused with the essential oils of lavender, lemon and maleluca.  This combination creates a healing balm that is antibacterial and antimicrobial!  Your hands and heels will show results immediately!


CW Lip Balm is infused with the essential oils of lavender, lemon and peppermint, creating a soothing, moisturizing and glossy balm that you'll want to take with you everywhere!

Of course...

Both products feature doTERRA - CPTG (certified pure theraputic grade) essential oils...my favorite!

How to Enter...

Leave a comment and let me know how you're spending your Memorial day weekend!  And for extra credit, sign up to follow Camp Wander...I'd love it if you did!

Giveaway ends Monday night at 9pm MST!

Good luck!

Rebecca :)

May 23 & 24

May 23- Frog

 This frog was GINORMOUS! O.o

 May 24- Lady Slipper

Our Yellow Lady Slippers are blooming.

Grad Ideas for the Class of 2012!

Graduation!

I've been away for a few days, attending the graduation of our grand daughter Maya, from Sunshine Circle Pre-school.  Kindergarten, here she comes!

Maya

With graduation on the brain, I began thinking about all of you and your graduation plans.  It's such a fun time of year for graduates and their families!  How about a few ideas to help you celebrate!

mortarboards?

Make some mortarboard pops with Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Andes Mints and yarn for the tassle.

What grad wouldn't love getting this?  A beach towel, favorite magazine, treats and sunscreen rolled up and tied with a ribbon!  It's like a permission slip to hit the beach and goof off...a well deserved break!

Wow, look at this lucky grad!


Cute though!  


A bunch of one dollar bills, a lei and a candy necklace.


SCORE.




And for your "smart cookie"...

A whole table of cookies!  Set out cute paper bags and let your smarty pants kids fill them with assorted homemade cookies!

This is clever too!  Rolls of Smarties disguised as diplomas!

Enjoy the celebrations with your family and friends!  Hearty congratulations to all the smarty pants of the class of 2012!

Rebecca