Beating the Mid Winter Blahs

Bringing the Garden Indoors

I've learned over the years, resolutions are made to be broken. This is why I no longer make any for the New Year. I did have one goal / science experiment. In the fall I clipped some Basil from my garden before a frost. I rooted the clippings in water, and added marbles and time-released fertilizer.

My goal was simple: to try to keep my clippings alive into January. The above photo was taken January 5th. I lost a few of the other plants to cooking & to the elements (mostly lack of strong sunlight.).

Today my experiment came to it's conclusion. The last few weeks, there has been very little direct sun in my kitchen window and my brave plant finally gave up. After a proper burial, I washed the jar and marbles.

I may try to force some bulbs using a glass dish and the marbles. This is a project I had done years ago to help with my mid-winter blahs.

For more info on Forcing Bulbs: http://www.oldhousegardens.com/ForcingBulbs.asp

RIP: Basil 1/16/10

Curl Up With a Good Book

Another great indoor activity at our house is curling up with a good book.

Thanks to some thoughtful Aunts & Uncles, my boys have accumulated a collection of Target & Barnes & Noble gift cards. It usually takes a few trips until the card are depleted.

Today my 6th grader was excited to find the sequel to "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. He highly recommends this series to ages middle-school & up.

He started reading his new purchase as soon as he was buckled in his seat for the ride home from the book store.




Beat the Boredom with a Board Game

Family Game night is a frequent weekend activity this time of year at our house. Cranium is one of our favorite new games to play as a family! Lots of creative challenges from drawing, charades, molding clay, humming tunes and much more. Hilarity is guaranteed to ensue!



Speaking of hilarity, it's time for late-night TV. I can hear Wanda Sykes in the other room....

That's all for now....