Mailboxology

Photo Credit: ©Renaissance Woman (aka Bird Legs)

What gives a home instant curb appeal?  For me, it’s always the little touches: a willow garden arbor; watching hummingbirds blissing out on red geraniums in window boxes; that classic rocker calling my name on the porch.

When I think first impressions, I always recall a teacher of mine who had the kind of front yard that made you want to stop and linger.  Her brand of curb appeal started less than six inches from the street.  It was always about the mailbox.  People went out of their way to see her latest creation.  I know because I was one of them... her mailbox groupies. 

Today, as I finished revitalizing a seriously sorry looking mailbox at the end of my country lane, I realized I was paying homage to that most extraordinary individual who taught me the true meaning of painting on a whole different kind of canvas.  I only wish it hadn’t taken me so many years to do something about the forlorn sight that greeted every visitor to my home. 

When does a mailbox become more than a mailbox?  It ceases to be a standard 6-inch x 18-inch receptacle when it becomes a means of celebrating life, personal expression, and the essence of home.  Thank you, my friend, for teaching me to see the potential in everything.  If there were such a thing as human curb appeal, its name and definition would be Carolyn.

Though my first mailbox renovation isn’t on a par with her works of art, I think she would be pleased that I went all out to create something whimsical.  Carolyn, more than anyone, understood that whimsy is good for the soul.  I hope my new mailbox makes someone, maybe you, smile on the inside. 

What kind of whimsy might you express today? 

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Experience the Mid-Atlantic Region a Few Steps at a Time.

Driving through the mid-Atlantic, you can get a bit of a feel for the beauty of the area.  This is especially true if you stray from the Interstate 95 corridor.  However, I don’t think a person can know what an area is like without pulling over and getting out of the car.

For example, I can say I’ve been to St. Louis, Missouri.  I’ve seen the arch.  But I drove through, looking out of the windows at 65 miles an hour.  Even though the kids (they were young then) put Nelly’s CD in the player all of the way through Missouri, and we watched from the windows pointing out different things to each other, I didn’t leave the state knowing the area.

A rugged portion of a Baltimore County, MD trail.

Getting outdoors in an area is the best way to know an area more intimately. I think hiking is the best way to do this.  Understand that I use the word “hike” loosely.  I say I hike.  But what I do is walk along paths for a short period of time.  I participate in what are called day hikes.  All through the mid-Atlantic there are great places to take day hikes.  There are great places to take even shorter walks.  Best of all, the Appalachian Trail runs through part of the mid-Atlantic region.  That means the best of the best hikers do section or thru-hikes here. In terms of trails, there is something for every level of hiker (walker) here.

A lush portion of the same trail.

Whatever type of hiker you are, I encourage you to get out there and see the land. It is possible to hike here in all four seasons, in a variety of terrains, and I love them all. 

MysticTurtle shares her thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail (AT). While thru-hiking the AT is a very serious adventure, there are many places to jump on the trail and do a short hike.  Beginning hikers, like myself, can still enjoy sections of the AT trail.

Hiking more difficult terrain in western Maryland.

In 2012, Clare Lochary wrote an article for the Baltimore Sun, listing the 10 best Mid-Atlantic hikes for fall foliage viewing.  I’ve been to many of the places on Ms. Lochary's list and the rest are on my too-see list.  I agree with her list and think she’s chosen some really great places for day hikes, no matter the time of year.  Be advised, if you use her list, do some research because some of the entry fees may have increased. But the information in the list itself is very helpful.

I hope you find a way to get out and really experience an area, whether it’s the mid-Atlantic region or your own. The following photographs are from a few of my experiences in this area.

Walking the islands and beaches in the mid-Atlantic.

Hike the tidal rivers in Maryland.

Sidling Hill, Maryland in the wintertime.

Tidal marsh areas.

Michaux State Forest, PA

Near the Western Maryland/Pennsylvania state line.

Image Credit: Images are mine ©Dawn Rae – All Rights Reserved (Click on photo for larger view)

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Easter Craft Egg-Citement!

Easter Blessings!

It's not too late to get crafting for Easter - we have been busy making little chicks, coloring in Easter bunny paper dolls and even making some little chocolate eggs of our own with a chocolate mold.  

The past week we have also made baskets for an egg hunt, and were lucky enough to attend a willow weaving workshop at our local zoo, where we learned how to make these bird nests pictured! These make a lovely Easter gift, with a knitted bird or two and some pretty foiled eggs. 

This time of year is a haven for crafty ideas - spring is in the air, nature is abundant with bits and bobs to use in crafting, and we have Easter and Earth Day to inspire us! Tomorrow we're going to combine the two events by recycling the pretty colored foil that my children's Easter hunt eggs were wrapped in (below), and using them to create some kind of object or collage. We've not decided yet! 

Hubpages is the perfect place to find Easter craft ideas, or to write your own how-to's and reviews! Whether you want inspiration for a craft, or want to see how you can share your own ideas, take a look at some of these terrific pages. 

Older preschoolers might like to help (or receive!) these Resurrection Easter Eggs, demonstrated by ideadesigns. And if you're all out of painting and decorating eggs enthusiasm by now, why not try something different, such as this great idea by prosperity66, who shows you how to make Easter Bells from plant pots!

Finally, I love this tutorial from KyraB. Now spring is here, we are itching to get gardening, and have been looking at making a fairy garden in a barrel and a terrarium. So her lens on How to Make a Christian Easter Planter seemed like perfect timing for getting crafty with planting, with an Easter theme!

I was delighted to see my Chick in Egg Easter Cards tutorial selected as Lens of the Day today! This is a great craft for little ones as you can keep it simple (a colored chick in a plain egg) or have fun decorating, coloring or painting it to the hilt! 

I am also delighted to have been blessed with the new regular position of Saturday poster for Review This, so from next weekend you will be able to find reviews, tips, inspirations and ideas from Little Crafty Kids here every week! 

Once again, have a Happy Easter, and happy crafting!  

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Going Green for Earth Month

Hello Friends of the Earth!

I hope you have been enjoying Earth Month and finding fun activities that keep our planet clean and green. 

This month we're celebrating our Mother Earth, sharing ways to ensure the future of her health and promoting Nature Literacy. We've been having a great time!

And, we aren't the only ones having fun! Today, I'd like to introduce you to some friends that are committed to growing a healthy and green planet.

Let's start with healthy food for a healthy planet. Healthy food makes healthy bodies and we need healthy bodies to be good stewards of the earth. Graceonline starts her healthy journey by buying fresh foods and foods in bulk. She's not only reduced the paper and plastic garbage from her lifestyle, she's reduced packaged foods from her meals. Eating healthy isn't time-consuming, Graceonline has a great idea for a quick and easy meal.

One way to eat a healthier diet is to grow our own food. Grammieo knows that we don't have to spend a lot of time or have a lot of space to grow a garden. If you don't know much about gardening, Grammieo will get you started with her Basic Information for Newbie Gardeners.

It's easy being green, as RenaissanceWoman2010 shows us. Being green is a part of her everyday life. She's all about living off the grid and being self-sufficient. She shows us that we can stretch our garden growing season with her recommendations of Greenhouses To Build that are inexpensive and efficient.

Being green is also fun. MissMerFaery finds all kinds of ways to recycle everyday items into fun crafting projects for her and her children. Kids and adults will love to set sail on a sea of dreams with her tutorial on How to Make a Bottle Boat.

April 25th is Arbor Day, a day that celebrates Mother Earth's greatest recyclers, the trees. Trees recycle the air and the water. I love trees and being in the forest. But, I love living in the city. My town allows me to have my city living and enjoy my trees, too! The photo above is the street view from my new home. We are blocks from downtown and we are surrounded by trees. Urban forestry works in our town because homeowners take care to Plant the Right Tree the Right Way.

How are you spending your Earth Month?

Until next time, be safe and be well.

Coletta




Posted by Coletta Teske

About This Contributor

Coletta Teske writes reviews on books, business management, writing, crafting, cooking, and gardening. She is also an avid recycler and shares her tips on recycling. She delights in upcycling an old object, recycling or transforming discarded items into a new treasure.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Your Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

In honor of a very special wedding, I invite your to share your best chocolate cake recipe. No, it's not my wedding. But, at my own wedding I did have a chocolate cake. Get real, would I have picked any other kind? I can think of no better time to enjoy chocolate than a wedding. Yes, lots of equally good times, but no better time.

Writers Share Their Best Chocolate Cake Recipes

How can you possibly think you can have enough chocolate cake recipes? If you love chocolate, like I do, you want to try lots of the best. So I've gathered some of those fabulous recipes here.

Moist and Delicious Chocolate Cake and Other Chocolate Recipes from seashell2. A nice list of some delicious chocolate cake ideas.

7 Amazing Chocolate Bundt Cakes You Can Make Yourself. nDee gives us all 7 including a vegan version and a whiskey-soaked chocolate cake.

Chocolate Cake Recipes. Our very own Sylvestermouse shares her secrets to an amazing chocolate fudge cake.

Chocolate Cake in a Mug from enslavedbyfairies. 5 minutes to a great dessert idea.

Low Cholesterol Dark Chocolate Cake from acreativethinker. A yummy way to add more of that
healthy dark chocolate to our diets.

And the best one in my personal view, Decadent Chocolate Cake, (from some oddball writer called BuckHawk) because you can never get enough chocolate into one recipe.

Share Your Own Best Recipe

OK, you have looked at these recipes and plenty of others, and still say your chocolate cake recipe is the best. That's when you want to share it. You want to tell others about your very best chocolate cake recipe.

Amazingly enough, it's quite easy to do. You only need to know how to make your cake. List your ingredients, give the directions, and add in the extra information that makes your chocolate cake recipe the best ever.

No, it doesn't absolutely need to be a wedding cake. But if you have a recipe for a great chocolate wedding cake, we'd love to read about that, too.

Posted by: BuckHawk

About This Contributor

BuckHawk decribes herself as "Basically a lazy person who prefers the easy things in life." So that's what she writes about. Easy home decorating, easy recipes, easy entertaining. But, she is also a lover of animals, gardening and crafting. You'll find her writing all over the Web, but with Review This Reviews! she has the opportunity to write about all of her loves.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Photographing Spring Flowers

I love springtime with all of the beautiful flowers peaking out of the brown earth.  What a wonderful way to come out of the long, cold days of winter.  I would have a hard time picking a favorite flower but I would think that tulips would be close to the top followed closely by daffodils.  Here are some daffodils I photographed at a rest area in Tennessee in early April.

As I was browsing through Squidoo, I found this great lens by thewayeyeseeit, giving us tips on photographing spring flowers. http://www.squidoo.com/photography-tips-for-spring-flower-pictures.  He talks about perspective, timing, lighting, camera settings and much more.  You will also get to enjoy some of his beautiful photographs.

Happy Spring!  Hope you enjoy photographing all those beautiful flowers.

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Nature's Easter Eggs

Photo Credit: Natural Easter Eggs

You can color me green in terms of lifestyle, but healthy living is really a lovely palette of so many beautiful colors.  With Easter just a few days away, I’ve been considering how I want to apply the colors of the rainbow to create this year’s dyed eggs.  As I searched for holiday decorating ideas, I took a few scenic detours and started reading about chickens and their eggs.  When it comes to making gorgeous shells, the chickens are already several steps ahead of me.  I don’t even need to break out the dye.

As one who is on a quest to grow all of my own food, I currently have a fascination with raising backyard chickens.  My goal is to start with three laying hens this spring.  Along with the search for construction plans to build a chicken coop, I am thoroughly enjoying what I am learning about the different breeds of chickens. 

Did you know you can look at a chicken’s earlobe to potentially determine what color of egg she will lay?  I've not personally checked any earlobes to test that little tidbit of chicken trivia, but you can learn more by watching the short video clip presented in the first article linked below.  Wouldn’t it be fun if we had a similar way of seeing what our future children might look like?  But I digress. 

As I was saying before I interrupted myself, I now know why chickens produce different colored eggs, as well as which breeds to buy if I want to have delicious Easter eggs every day of the year.  Do you know which chickens lay blue, pink, green, or brown eggs?  I do now thanks to several interesting Squidoo articles. 

With the countdown to Easter, let’s have some fun by going on a virtual Easter egg hunt.  Read about Nature’s Easter Eggs and a very doable DIY backyard chicken coop.

Do you raise backyard chickens?  Have you built a hen house?  If so, I would love to read all about it.  Why not write a feature article or review of your top backyard chicken product.  I might even reward you with a basket of your favorite Easter candy.  So what will it be?  Mini robin's eggs?  Peeps?  Did I mention chocolate?

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Learning through Crafts

Crafting with little ones is perfect for bringing out their creative side, nurturing their inner artist and exercising their imagination. But crafts can also be a wonderful learning tool in other ways as well.

As an unschooling home educator, I use play and art as part of the learning process. We learn and craft with the seasons, the things we see and do daily, and whatever interests my children currently have. 

Of course, right now it is coming up to Easter, so there are lots of beautiful spring, egg and other Easter themes in abundance! We have been making these chick in egg cards (left) to send to my daughter's friends and pen pals, a prime example of learning as we craft. The activity led to a discussion about the life cycle of the chicken, farms, and whether there are chicks in the eggs that we have in the fridge! 

We also belong to a home educators book club on Facebook, which has a different book to read every week or fortnight, and we incorporate lots of crafts and similar activities alongside the reading of the books. We've made stick people in the forest for Stickman (below left), play dough aliens (below centre) and a washing line full of colourful cut-out pants for Aliens Love Underpants (below right, which prompted a mini science lesson on the weather, how clothes get dry, and what we could use to "dry" our craft by representing the wind and sun). Not to mention Jack and the Beanstalk stick puppets, Room on the Broom peg dolls, Three Little Pig houses made of smoothie boxes - well, you get the idea! 

So, when you craft together, think about what other elements you can bring in to teach your child, to make learning fun! Even simple concepts like cutting paper or lacing beads (motor skills), counting out or measuring materials (maths), or trying out a new way of painting (art) are teaching key lessons.

Here are some ideas for the season for you! hlkljgk shows you how to dye eggs naturally for Easter in her Natural Egg Colouring lens. This activity combines craft with science, as you can explain the dyeing process and so on.

You can also get inspired by general craft ideas and apply an Easter theme. Here I show you How to Make a Shadow Puppet. You can teach children a basic history of shadow puppetry or the science of reflection and shadow, and create an Easter puppet show at the same time! 

Finally, why not inspire further crafting this Easter by popping a crafty gift egg inside your child's Easter basket? CorrinnaJohnson has some beautiful examples of these in her lens Crafty Non-Candy Easter Egg Surprises. 

Happy Easter, and happy crafting!  

  

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A Year of Storytelling on Squidoo

Squidoo is a really cool place to write. Squidoo promotes quality and community. Squidoo provides opportunity and training. Squidoo sparks ideas and creativity. Squidoo Rocks! This is the path the Recycle Contributor on Squidoo followed to go from an unknown writer to a member of Squidoo's contributor community in just one short year. 

Hello Storytellers!

In a few days, I will celebrate my first anniversary on Squidoo and I never imagined that this journey would be wild, wacky and wonderful. Squidoo has helped me come out of my timid shell, develop a storytelling writing style and promote my writing in a way that I never imagined.

Squidoo has been a great fit for me and it might be a great fit for you. Do you have a skill or a craft you'd like to teach to others? Do you like to recommend books, movies and products? Do you like to share your favorite recipes? Join me on Squidoo and you can write about all these things and more!

I'd like to share with you the programs offered by Squidoo that have helped me grow my writing craft, build a social media following and gain credibility in the online world. These avenues are available to anyone with the drive and desire to become a successful web writer.

NOTE:  On August 15, 2014, Squidoo announced that it was being acquired by HubPages. These programs are no longer available.

When I joined Squidoo, I wanted to improve my writing portfolio. I searched for an upstanding writing platform and a place that allowed me the freedom to express myself. I selected Squidoo because of their commitment to content that is Unique, Useful and Updated.

Squidoo looked impressive from the outside. I didn't have any idea that it was even more impressive from the inside.

A week after I joined Squidoo, I started my first lens. This new writing platform was a bit intimidating, so I took my time. After another week of writing and learning, I was ready to press the Publish button.

Not only did my first lens go live, I received a notice from Squidoo that I was eligible for their RocketSquid program. The name was intriguing, so I checked out Squidoo's web writing bootcamp exclusively for their members. I'm glad I joined.

The program helped me search my brain for writing ideas and maintain a consistent flow of writing. The people in charge of the program were always sending encouraging messages. And, the best writing was awarded with Purple Stars and spotlights on the Squidoo homepage. The recognition and promotion did wonders for my confidence. I felt rewarded for my hard work and a job well done.

Five months and 25 lenses later, it was time for my RocketSquid graduation. I was sad to leave the group. I would miss the mentoring from the RocketSquid Greeters, the weekly writing challenges and the daily inspiration from Squidoo headquarters. I was beginning to find a direction in the online world and I didn't want to lose sight while traveling the rocky road ahead.

I really had nothing to fear. The support and motivation from Squidoo didn't stop there. With 25 quality lenses to my credit, it was time to go to the next level and apply to the Squidoo Giant program. I became a Giant Squid just in time for the launch of Squidoo's new lens formats and a list of other improvements to the platform.

It took me a while to warm up to the new and shorter formats. Adapting to change is not always easy. After several weeks and the incentive of a cash award, I took the plunge and wrote my first movie review. My review was selected for one of the prizes and I loved writing it. These new formats make it fast and easy to write informative how-to articles, insightful product reviews and delicious recipes.

In January, Squidoo announced their Contributor program and offered 100 Giant Squids the opportunity to build a niche for themselves and to help promote Squidoo as a fun place to write. After reading about the program, I felt this was the perfect way for me to narrow my favorite topics of home and gardening into a niche that would fit the expectations of the Web. And, I was totally head over heels in love with Squidoo. When I saw that a contributor role for recycling was available, I gave it my best pitch.

I loved being the Recycler Contributor. The support from Squidoo was incredible and I made many new online friends. Recycling has always been a part of my frugal lifestyle and it makes me feel good to know that I am contributing to making the world a better place for all of us.

Until next time, be safe and be well.

Coletta




Posted by Coletta Teske

About This Contributor

Coletta Teske writes reviews on books, business management, writing, crafting, cooking, and gardening. She is also an avid recycler and shares her tips on recycling. She delights in upcycling an old object, recycling or transforming discarded items into a new treasure.

 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Special Easter Treats Equal Special Easter Memories

I have always enjoyed creating fun food for holidays, birthdays and special occasions, but Easter treats are especially delightful.  There is something inherently fun about bunnies, lambs, chicks, and decorated eggs.  

They all represent the celebration of new life and spring, which make them most appropriate for our Easter celebrations.  


Making Special Memories While Making Special Easter Treats

In our home, everyone gets involved in making special Easter treats.  One of my all time favorite Easter memories was actually when my son was in college.  He called to ask if he could come home for the weekend before Easter, bring a friend and make Easter cupcakes for a charity bake sale.   

There are many reasons why that request thrilled my soul, all of which I am sure any mother of college age children could understand.   I had a wonderful time drinking coffee, taking pictures and watching the guys "create" their special Easter treats.   It is truly amazing what all you can learn about your children if you simply listen to their conversation while they decorate cupcakes.  

The faces they put on the Easter bunny and lamb cupcakes were simply downright hilarious.  Needless to say, their cupcakes sold out at the bake sale and I never even got to taste one myself, but I know for a fact, they were delightful.

Cupcakes in photos were created by using
  the Wilton Mini Cakes Bunny Rabbit Pan Mold 
 and the Wilton Lamb Mini Treats Pan

More Special Easter Treats Suggestions 

Stepping out of my own kitchen and into the homes of other  authors, I find there are several awesome Easter treat suggestions that would truly be a lot of fun for the whole family.  

Andreaberrios  invites us to make this gorgeous and creative Easter Cake Pops.  

She offers suggestions and recipes for chicks, bunnies and Easter egg cake pops.  I am certain any of these would be extra special Easter treats.





Seeking More Special Treats 


If you are like me and you are constantly on the lookout for special treats.

Now tell us, do you have a special Easter treat story full of special Easter memories to share?

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