Tip of the Day 4/11/12

After living in the upper mid-west for over 25 years I have become accustomed to the fickleness of the weather. We get all excited when it hits 60 degrees and we pull out our shorts and head to the beach. Yesterday it snowed. LOL But we have thick blood flowing in our veins and still believe it is Spring and Summer is soon to follow. So, we will continue our trek this week of going green, while saving some green, so we can go outside and enjoy the green. When we purchased our home the yard needed some work. Previous owners had planted a few things in a bed in front of the house, but they were oddly placed and very few. We did not have much in the budget to landscape, so we took advantage of every time we heard someone say they had plants they were thinning and wanted to give away. By accepting these offers of recycled plants we now have a yard filled with day lillies, ornamental grasses, hostas, azaleas, and more. We moved the plants in the front bed around to better locations and even picked up some ornamental grasses at a garage sale for just a few dollars. In the spot where we took down an above ground swimming pool and affectionately named the UFO landing pad for a couple of summers, we now have a beautiful bed with plants we purchased off the clearance rack for 50 cents each. They are huge and need to be thinned this year. We have added decorative items picked up from the beach or yard sales. A fountain we found on clearance for $10 has been in the yard for 5 years. Several years ago my husband brought home a wicker rocking chair a friend was throwing out, painted it blue because I love the Kenny Chesney song, and placed it in the garden. It was a delightful, free addition that the birds love to perch on. We love to sit and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere we have created in the yard for very little money. Look around and create an oasis in your outdoor space for only a little green.

Word for Today, Words: How many times have you said something and instantly wished you could take it back? Or maybe you said something that you intended one way, but it was received in a totally different way? It has happened to all of us and we can obsess about it or we can apologize and move forward. In moving forward we need to take with the lesson learned, think more, speak less. We need to learn to listen more and not fall into the trap of always needing to speak our opinion. Learning comes by listening and when we have learned we will speak with wisdom. "In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise. Be swift to hear and slow to speak. Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips."