Win a Bum Genius Starter Kit in the "Beat the Heat!" Contest!

No purchase necessary to enter & win! Just got to http://blog.thenatureschild.com/2008/06/beat-heat-summer-contest.html and answer the question "How do you beat the heat?" by midnight on July 31, 2008. Winner will be picked at random from all entries.

The winner will be announced by email to all entrants on or before August 10, 2008.

Winner will receive: 18 bumGenius diapers, a diaper sprayer, a dozen cloth wipes, and bottle of odor remover OR a gift certificate to the Nature's Child of comparable value ($250) that will be honored either online or in their brick & mortar location in Charlottesville, VA.

The blog will be a mess for a few days... Please, bear with me as I attempt to redecorate the place (i.e. play around with the code to see what happens).

Thanx,
WR

Stand anywhere in my yard. Take a DEEP breath.... Hhhhmmmmm... smell that? That intoxicating fragrance is coming from my Gardenia bush. I only have one, but the breeze carries the sent all over the yard.

Gardenias From My Front Yard

I wondered if Gardenias had any medicinal value, as I tend to believe that most plants do. So I looked it up...

Chinese herbal medicine makes the most extensive use of the gardenia. Its Chinese name is zhi zi. The traditional medicinal actions attributed to gardenia include calming irritability; cooling blood and clearing away heat (a yin/yang imbalance often characterized by deficient yin); reducing swelling; and moving stagnant blood that has congealed in one place, usually following trauma. Gardenia is considered to be very effective as a hemostatic agent, which means that it stops bleeding; and also effective in treating injuries to the muscles, joints, and tendons. Gardenia is commonly used in Chinese herbal formulas to treat infections, particularly bladder infections; abscesses; jaundice; and blood in the urine, sputum, or stool. Because of its perceived ability to ease agitation or irritability, it is also used in formulas to treat anxiety or insomnia. It is also helpful in correcting menopausal imbalances reflected in insomnia and depression, nervous tension, headache, and dizziness.

The United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service phytochemical and ethnobotanical database lists the following species of gardenia as having specific medicinal properties:

Gardenia gummifera. This species can be helpful in treating digestive problems, including dyspepsia and diarrhea; or used as an astringent and expectorant for nervous conditions and spasms.

Gardenia storckii. This variety can be used in treating constipation.

Gardenia lucida. This gardenia has antiseptic properties that can kill both bacteria and insects.

Gardenia pseudopsidium. This species has been used to treat smallpox.

Gardenia jasminoides. This gardenia has been found to be helpful in the treatment of pain, nose bleeds, fever, and influenza; in healing wounds and reducing swelling; and in treating mastitis, hepatitis and the hematuria that accompanies bladder infection.

Gardenia augusta. This variety has shown effectiveness in the treatment of headaches, fever, delirium, mastitis, and jaundice related to liver problems.

Gardenia campanulata. This plant is used in healing wounds, burns, and scalds; in reducing swelling; as a treatment for fever and influenza; in treating jaundice associated with liver problems; and in stopping bleeding.

Gardenia labifolia.This gardenia has been found effective in treating the bites of certain snakes.

Preparations
The kernel within the gardenia berry is often removed for use in herbal poultices put on sports injuries such as sprains, pulled muscles, or inflammation of nerves. The use of gardenia poultices is particularly common in Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese practitioners make a paste of the herb with flour and wine. The powdered berry is given in both and capsules. When gardenia is used to stop bleeding it is usually burned before it is simmered in water.

Precautions
Chinese herbalists state that gardenia should not be used when there is cold deficiency (watery) diarrhea present.

Side Effects
Gardenia has laxative properties, and can cause loose stools when taken frequently or in large amounts.

I have really been enjoying the scented flowers this season. First came the honeysuckle down by the road. Then my dog rose bloomed for the first time since we transplanted it a few years ago. But the Gardenia has got to be one of my favorite fragrances. It takes me back to my childhood... bursting through the door of Granny Trudy's house, out into the yard to play, hearing the screen door slam behind me, running past the blue and green Hydrangeas, and taking in the wonderful smell of Sweet Shrubs and Gardenias in bloom.

But unlike Sweet Shrubs, Gardenias not only smell good, the blooms are big and beautiful and can be packed together for an attention-getting arrangement on your dinning room table. (I'm enjoying them now, as sit and type this --hmm, the whole house smells wonderful.)

This old-fashioned flower may not only hold a lot of good memories for me, but also a lot of new uses!

WR

Sweetpea, on stage, playing the grand piano.

Here are instructions for making a diaper bag.
http://www.bundlesoflove.org/diaperpattern.htm

How to make a baby romper (onesie) from a t-shirt.
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Baby-Romper-from-a-T-Shirt

Instructions for making a newborn footed sleeper.
http://www.touchinglittlelives.org/nbsleeper.html

Here's a pattern for a footless sleeper for a preemie (4 to 6 lbs).
http://www.touchinglittlelives.org/prsleeper.html

Instructions for using a towel to make a bath robe for a baby. http://www.sewmuch4retirement.com/projects/babyrobe/babyrobe.html

Adult bath robe from towels.
http://www.ez-fit.com/bath_towel_robe.cfm

How to make a t-shirt dress.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_kid_crafts/article/0,1789,HGTV_3256_1371470,00.html

Baby Booties
http://www.heatherbaileydesign.com/Booties.html

A different kind of baby booties.
Click Here

Great instructions on how to bind a quilt
http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/photos/continuous_quiltbinding/index.html

Really nice headbands
http://www.heatherbaileydesign.com/Headband.html

Instructions for Peasant Skirt
http://www.jcarolinecreative.com/Merchant2/peasantskirt_inst.html

Simple baby quilt (three for one --very easy --although, you do need specialized quilting tools)
http://quiltmaker.com/patterns/patt230.pdf

Hand Towel Bib
http://www.mormonchic.com/crafty/dsh_twl_bibs.asp

Muddy Rooster! LOL!

While I'm waiting for pickle to wake up from his nap so we can go to the library, I figured I'd post some photos I took at my parents house yesterday. They have an emerald isle, secreted away, in a sea of subdivisions. And they really make the most of their little paradise. They have planted a veggie garden, grape vines, fig, peach, apple, and pear trees, blueberry bushes, flowers and greenery galore, a weeping willow, a corkscrew willow, and numerous other trees and shrubs. Needless to say it is beautiful! Here's a small glimpse of what you'd find there, if you were to stop by for a visit (click on the photos for a better view)...

Willow trees and garden

Blueberries

This pretty fellow

Young figs with...

Grape vine in the background

The fountain/bird bath

The birds

An odd fall leaf in Spring?

Can you find the toad? He's staying cool by half burying himself in a shady spot.

Here he is!

I made the flats (though they still need the stitching around the edge).

Fried chicken and mashed potatoes just go together. And if you have any leftover, this is what you can do with them (Granny Trudy showed me this). It's so simple --this will be a short post.

If you have fried chicken strips, then just cut them into bite-sized pieces. If you have bone-in fried chicken, then pull it off the bone, trying to keep as much breading intact as you can (I also pull the crispy breading off the bones and add that to the meat). Then, cut it into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Put about 3 TBSP of butter in a skillet on medium heat. After butter melts, add 2 TBSP flour. [These measurements will depend on how much chicken you have.] Mix it together and let it cook for a minute. Stir in milk and/or chicken stock, depending on what you have. Keep stirring 'til smooth but don't let it start thickening yet. Add the chicken and gently stir 'til the gravy is thickened and chicken is warmed thru. Season to taste. Spoon over warmed mashed potatoes.

WR

We dug our Elephant Garlic a few days ago. We didn't have a whole lot of it planted but we plan to turn around and plant cloves from all but the smallest bulbs next year. That way we can start to build up the amount of plants we have, from the same plants that we started with. These plants are kinda special to me 'cause they came from my grandparents garden and they have both passed on now.

I just wanted to brag on my Princess (SweetPea). She is learning to cook and one of the things we are doing is reading a book called The Mary Frances Cook Book, written by Jane Eayre Fryer in 1912. The author wrote several books about the Mary Frances character that were aimed at teaching children different skills. So, of course the cookbook is about learning to cook. You can read it online at http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/html/books/book_64.cfm

Here is one of the recipes, from that book, that SweetPea made...

MILK TOAST

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 slices toast

1. Make ready the toast.
2. Heat the milk until smoking hot.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
4. Throw the flour into the butter. Cook until it bubbles a little, stirring all the time. Take from the fire.
5. Pour 1/3 milk upon the butter and flour, a little at a time, stirring with the back of a spoon to press out the lumps.
6. Place over fire, and gradually stir in the remaining milk.

Of course, she did it on a modern stovetop so the process was a little different, but she has helped me in the kitchen often enough to figure it out.

Here's how her breakfast turned out:

And there was enough left for me to enjoy Creamed Eggs!

It's yet another idea I got from my online friend, HB. It basically consists of milk toast with chopped, boiled eggs in it. Very good. I really enjoy it and have it for breakfast pretty often (and sometimes for lunch).

WR

Hi Ms. Rose!
Sis told me you'd be popping in for some recipes so I thought I should post some.

Three Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
These are THE BEST!!! I got the recipe from Steph's Country Kitchen Goodness back before she bought into the "low fat is healthy" garbage and changed a lot of her recipes. But that's a rant for another day. LOL! These are soooo yummy!

1/3 cup olive oil
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas (preferably yellow corn tortillas, but white corn will do)
2 (10 oz) cans red enchilada sauce
3 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 or 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Heat oven to 350°.

2. In 8-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. With tongs, dip each tortilla in hot oil, turning quickly to soften, about 3 seconds; set aside.

3. In large bowl, stir together cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Stir in salt, cumin and pepper. Stir in chicken, 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, Cheddar cheese and green onions.

4. Pour enchilada sauce in shallow dish (pie plate works well). Dip tortillas in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Place chicken mixture in tortilla; roll. Place tortillas, seam side down, in a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce.

5. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle remaining Monterey Jack cheese over enchiladas and bake 3 minutes longer. Garnish with sour cream and/or guacamole, if desired.

Ok, so really it's just the lost pictures from some of my previous posts. I finally found our camera (which had all the pics I had not downloaded yet) amongst the junk on the table near the front door. Actually, Bull found it and told me where it was, along with his new theory that everything we've ever lost is somewhere on that table.

Anyway, I'm adding photos to some of the old posts so take a look at Pineapple Coconut Pie, Gardening Goof, and The Chinese Food's Still Good to see what's been missing.

I have a gardening tip for everyone... If the spot you want to plant in, has Bermuda grass growing in it, whatever you do, DON'T TILL IT!!!

Each and every little bitty piece of grass that was cut up and buried by the tiller, will sprout from both ends and you will NEVER get it out of your garden. For every one you pull, two buried ones will spring to life.

Soooooooooo...

The grass has taken over my garden this year.

But next year I will know better. I searched the net and found what we should have done...


1. Mow the grass short.

2. During the hottest part of the day, spray grass with a combo of vinegar, orange oil, and molasses and let it sit in the sun for the rest of the day. Repeat if you need to.

The vinegar should be 10 to 20% and made from distilled grain alcohol - NOT acetic acid which is a petroleum derivative. The vinegar will kill the top growth. The orange oil is a surfactant. And the molasses 'causes bacterial bloom to rot the crowns of the grass.

3. Prevent regrowth by laying down THICK layers of wet newspaper (or cardboard), and leaves, compost, mulch, etc. (Lasagna Gardening style). Let it sit all winter and plant in spring.

4. Be diligent about weeding the boarder.

WR

Want to enjoy your garden bounty all year long? I sure do. So this year my mom and I are going to get in the kitchen and can it! I will be helping her, she will be teaching me, and we will both end up (hopefully) with some beautiful jars of tomatoes and pickles for our pantries.

I, however, do not have the equipment needed. Soooooo... I was very excited to find The Simple Woman's Cannery with the Ball Blue Gift-Away where Mrs. Peggy is gifting some luck person with a new Ball Blue Book of home preserving as well as a Ball Utensil Set.

Visit the link and take a look around.

WR