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| Vivid Spring fabrics |
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| Light and feminine Spring Fabric |
It is the first of April, the 91st day of 2013. As I turned my calendars and planners to today's date, I felt a surge of happiness. To me April is a month full of energy. It lights our morning skies and whispers in the breeze... Wake Up.
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| Courtesy: Melissa K. a.k.a. Ms. M. |
Whether that energy comes from the awakening of earth and plants, or the rain and storms full of powerful electricity, I couldn’t say.
Perhaps the energy comes from the stars being aligned just so: half in Aries, half in Taurus that makes me want to work and clean and live and laugh and make everything and everyone around me happy. My sun and moon rise in different signs, but April still holds a special power for me.
April is a busy bee type month and I for one am glad it is here. My calendars show a month full of celebrations and activities and work and promise.
Not just here on our 5 acre home place, not just on my blog; both have jam-packed To-Do lists. No, there is energy inside of me as well, an internal cleaning of the house so to speak.
April is my month to change my thoughts into deeds. Dreams that have lain dormant during the cold winter months can come out of hibernation.
April calls, it sings to me: Wake Up. Get up. Go. Do. Be.
What does April mean to you?
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| Our seeds: Sunflowers, Foxglove, Sweet Pea, Hollyhock, Baby's Breath. |
Spring is here! Spring is here! It’s the best time of the year! Those of us who love digging in the dirt have been waiting anxiously for planting time. We’ve dreamed of warmer days for months.
We’ve poured over seed catalogs, visited our favorite websites and sketched up our gardens and flower beds and got out our tools. Some of us who got warm weather last week have even bought some plants in preparation for our gardening season.
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| Courtesy: USDA
2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the
standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most
likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum
winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones.
It's easy to check your zone: go HERE, type in your zip code and/or state to see your personalized map. This site puts my hardiness zone as a 7 as seen on the above map. |
This site puts me in a
zone 6.
What does this mean to
me? I’m going to follow both guidelines and ask lots of questions at my local
nursery if I fall in love with a plant I have not personally worked with
before.
What plants are you looking
forward to growing this year? My yen this year is Hollyhocks, Sunflowers. My
new addition, which according to my ever helpful Better Homes and Gardens
regional planting guide says will grow splendidly here, is
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| Courtesy: B.H.G.com |
Fleabane Description and growing Information:
This tall wildflower
produces tiny, daisy-like flowers in great clouds in late summer into early
fall. It is often mistaken for an aster, but is easier to grow and isn't
plagued by fungal problems. Plants start blooming in midsummer and often
continue blooming until fall. The native forms are seldom grown in the garden
because they can be weedy, though they're great for naturalized areas and
prairie or meadow plantings. However, many well-behaved, beautiful hybrids are
available. All are beautiful when cut in big sprays and arranged in a vase.
Light:
Sun
Zones:
3-9
Plant Type:
Perennial
Plant Height:
18-30
inches tall
Plant Width:
18-24
inches wide
Landscape Uses:
Containers,Beds
& Borders
Special Features:
Flowers,
Cut Flowers, Attracts Butterflies, Drought Tolerant, Easy to Grow.
Isn't Fleabane pretty? If you have had experience with this plant, please let me know in the comments and happy spring!
Isn't Fleabane pretty? If you have had experience with this plant, please let me know in the comments and happy spring!
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| Happy First Day of Spring. I can't wait for these beauties to bloom again this year. |
I have always enjoyed Dole fruit products, so I was
expecting good quality and great taste when I gave Dole Fruit Parfaits a try
recently. What I wasn't prepared for was the stick my finger in the cup to get
every last drop of goodness out taste!
Readers, be warned: you will want to stock up on all three flavors of the Dole Fruit Parfaits. At just $2.79 per 4 cup package, it won’t break your budget to do so.
Readers, be warned: you will want to stock up on all three flavors of the Dole Fruit Parfaits. At just $2.79 per 4 cup package, it won’t break your budget to do so.
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| Courtesy: www.Dole.com |
About Dole Fruit Parfaits:
Dole Fruit Parfaits are available in three flavors:
Pineapple and Crème, Apples and Crème, Peaches and Crème. Each parfait package
contains 4 grab and go clear cups with easy peel off lids (so your kids can
open them by themselves). This is a plus for me because some fruit cups lids
are hard to open, leading to big messes, even for my bigger kids.
Another plus is that Dole Fruit Parfaits contain all natural
fruit with Vitamin C, are low in fat and sodium and cholesterol free.
And they score high marks on keeping calories
low. The Peaches and Crème cup and the Pineapple and Crème cup have 120
calories per serving and the Apples and Crème has 130 calories per
serving. Please visit www.dole.com for more information.
Here's what the Peaches and Creme Looks like:
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| Cup before mixing |
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| Cup after mixing |
My Review:
I love them! My kids love them! My husband loves them!
Seriously. I have never been able to give a 4 point Love to a product before
here on My WAHM Plan, but these fruit Parfaits deserve it.
We have tried all 3 flavors and found them to be a
refreshing treat. None of us had a clear favorite. All 3 flavors will be bought
again!
The fruit is naturally sweet,
like we have come to expect with Dole fruit and the crème is light-tasting, not
heavy. You can serve these parfaits room
temperature, cold, or add them to warm cereals like oatmeal for a quick and
easy way to dress up a morning staple.
Dole Fruit Parfaits are a snack we can feel good about
giving our whole family.
I highly recommend this product.
You can learn more about Dole Fruit Parfaits by visiting
their website HERE, liking them on Facebook and following them on Twitter.
I hope you found this review helpful. Do you have a favorite Dole Fruit product? Please share!
Disclosure I am part of the Mom It Forward blogger network. Mom
It Forward and DOLE partnered in support of this campaign. DOLE compensated me for participation in this campaign.
However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Just saying Mickey is somehow magical isn't it? What if you could win some Mickey magic? Well, thanks to Pixie Vacations you just may be a winner!
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| Courtesy: Pixie Vacations |
About the 365 Days of Mickey Sweepstakes by Pixie Vacations:
Each week for the rest of 2013 one lucky winner will be drawn for a Magical Mickey. This is not an ordinary Mickey, each Mickey Mouse plush has a little extra magic!
The Prize:
One lucky winner of one of these 52 magical Mickeys will win a Four Day, Three Night stay at the Walt Disney World Resort with Four Days of Disney Park Admission for up to four adults. Now that is magical!
Enter To Win HERE!
About Pixie Vacations:
Pixie Vacations is owned and operated by Steve and Lisa, past Disney Cast members. They are Free to use and will help you every step of the way. If you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Cruise, or an Adventures by Disney Vacation, they will create the best Disney vacation package for you at the lowest possible price. Please take a minute to review all that Pixie Vacations offer before you book by clicking HERE.
Every week in 2013 Pixie Vacations® will be giving away prizes and magical surprises so be sure to return and enter weekly.
Also be sure to take advantage of the latest Disney Vacation Packages at Pixie Vacations and read some of their client testimonials HERE.
I would love to take advantage of their 4th of July at Walt Disney World Vacation Package Savings.
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| Courtesy: Pixie Vacations |
From Pixie Vacations: "Book a Disney Vacation
Package for 5 nights / 6 days at select Disney, Value, Moderate, or Deluxe
Resorts and get a FREE Disney Water Park or DisneyQuest Ticket for each person in your
party.
Enjoy
Independence Week at Walt Disney World:
It’s red, white and blue as Disney Parks salutes America with a 4th of July
Fireworks Party — for an entire week, with patriotic lighting bathing the
Cinderella’s Castle. Mickey Mouse appears in his patriotic finest and you will
find special USA shirts, Ear Hats and other limited-edition souvenirs available
to purchase."
Booking
Window: 8/10/12 –
6/01/13
Travel Window: 7/1 – 7/8/13
Travel Window: 7/1 – 7/8/13
 |
| Courtesy: Pixie Vacations |
As you can see, there is a wealth of information and prize winning potential at Pixie Vacations.
I hope you found this post helpful as you plan your next dream vacation.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. As part of the USFG team, I was happy to help spread the word about this sweepstake. I may be eligible to win a prize for my participation.
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