Sustainable & Creative Living
I’m so excited to share this recipe with you. I love outdoor summer fun, but I don’t love mosquitos crashing my barbecues and patio time! Instead of putting insect repellent all over your skin, try using this Easy DIY Citronella Candle Recipe to help keep pesky mosquitos at bay.
Gardening has always been a soothing and relaxing hobby and I find that when I’m gardening, the rest of my thoughts and worries just kind of drift away. Does anyone else feel that while taking part in a favorite hobby? If you can relate, and if that hobby is also gardening, then you’re in the right place. As a long-time gardener, I know how important it is to have the right tools to make the most out of my hobby and get the most done when I have a mission. In this post, you’ll find 5 of my favorite and in my opinion, must-have gardening tools.
Bubbles are one of my son’s favorite outdoor activities. Not only does he love to blow them but he also loves to run around and chase them. I don’t know what it is about bubbles that kids go crazy for but I don’t care because I know when I take them out it’s at least a good 30 minutes of fun and running around. My favorite time to play with bubbles is right before nap time—the running around gets him [Read more…]
My son just turned 3 recently and I’m really starting to see this amazing personality shine through his tiny little body. He’s so lovable and outgoing—he’s the kid in Target that says hi to every single stranger that passes by. And he won’t stop saying hi until you respond! He’s also inquisitive—asking about a million questions a day about everything he sees, hears, or touches. Right now, he’s really into bugs! Most of the time, when he comes across a new insect that he’s never seen, his first reaction is, “Mommy look, it’s so cute.” Followed by “What is it?” “Can I hold it”? “Is it slimy”? And “I love it!” [Read more…]
Bird watching has never been an intentional hobby I took on but it became an especially enjoyable and interesting hobby when I moved to my home on The Gulf of Mexico. I’ve just always been fascinated by seeing these creatures and all their different shapes and colors. And so many find their way to my backyard; like Great Blue Heron, Egret, Roseate spoonbill, Osprey, and even Eagles; Hummingbirds capture my attention more than any other bird.
While these tiny birds appear fragile and delicate, they are actually quite resilient—migrating thousands of miles every year. Hummingbirds can fly forwards, backward, sideways, and even hover midair. Their wings beat 70 times per second and three times that rate when they are diving. No wonder they’re so eye-catching!
Although the area I live in is naturally an attractive location for wildlife, I do a few simple, but key things to make sure I attract hummingbirds:
Now that summer is in full swing, many of us are spending a lot more time outdoors enjoying picnics, beach days, and just hanging out in the backyard. Unfortunately, outside activities can expose us, and our loved ones, to all kinds of dangerous situations—some minor and some not so minor.
One of those situations that may seem minor, but sometimes isn’t, are Mosquito bites. Mosquitos carry and spread all kinds of diseases such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, West Nile virus, and Zika—to name a few. Over one million people worldwide die from Mosquito-borne diseases. Mosquitos also transmit diseases and parasites to dogs and horses.
April is the month of spring and Earth Day! This Earth Day we here at From Under a Palm Tree attended the 8th Annual Eco-fest in Tampa! Just like most local festivals, it had everything from local organizations and companies, food trucks, to vendors selling homemade goods. Everything was geared toward spreading awareness of eco-friendly practices. This was by far my favorite local festival I’ve ever attended.
There were booths specifically about recycling, water treatment and conservation, veganism, and Florida plants; the list goes on and on.
The best part was getting to talk to all of those vendors and learn about the environment. As with anything, it is important to continue to educate ourselves, especially about an ever-changing entity like the environment.
In the first of a 4 part series, I want to share some of the interesting information I learned at Eco-fest this year. This first post is all about eco-friendly landscaping practices courtesy of Southwest Florida Water Management District.
People often give and receive plants as holiday or hostess gifts this time of year. One of the most popular is the Christmas cactus. Normally at holiday time they are healthy and in full and beautiful bloom. This plant can live many years and bloom again seasonally with the right care.
Although gardening is one of my favorite hobbies, the lush green plants that I would bring home from the nursery often turned into brown, dried-up dead things. I just wasn’t able to give them the attention that they needed. Instead of giving up on houseplants, I’ve learned a few tricks to help keep them alive and healthy.
