Gardening 101-3: Companion Planting

Okay, so we didn't make this all in 1 week but I wanted to get to this before any of you actually started putting plants in the ground!

Now that we've selected our plants, we can move on to how we are going to plant them.  Sure, you can just toss them in however floats your boat but plants, like people, get along better with some plants than others.  Other plants act like Great Aunt Martha and tend to discourage the growth and fruitfulness of certain other plants.  Still others, when they are placed together will actually improve production and health of the plants.

(Sorry - I usually write much better than this but there just aren't many synonyms for a generic word for "plant".)

There are many ways to find out which plants are "best friends" and which are "mortal enemies".  My personal favorite is where people have already done most of the work for me.  These Companion Planting Charts are just some examples of the W-I-D-E variety available on the internet. 

Courtesy of Hines Farm Blog

Courtesy of Hines Farm Blog

Courtesy of EDC and Prepping Blog

Courtesy of Fantastic Farms

Depending on how you learn and process one may speak to you more than the others.  Companion planting does more than just encourage growth, it can reduce the amount of pesticides needed and create better soil conditions.

For example, let's say you want to grow corn, beans, and squash.  You have limited space in your garden.  You can plant the corn with the pole beans right next to it and the squash intermingled among it.  The pole beans will actually train and trellis up the stalks of corn and the squash as it grows and vines will help prevent weeds at the base of the corn and bean plants.

But wait, it gets even better!  The beans actually put nitrogen into the soil as part of their "waste product" as a plant.  The corn and squash need that nitrogen to grow!  These plants actually form a symbiotic relationship with each other and thrive because of their relationship.  These 3 plants together are known as the Three Sisters Garden. 

Courtesy of GardenWeb

The Three Sisters Garden is an example of an advanced kind of companion planting called "interplanting".  There are many more examples available if you're interested from The National Gardening Association.  Sometimes the Three Sisters are even used to create architectural design in a garden designed for viewing pleasure as well as edible yumminess adding vertical height and a neat, full presentation of greenery.

Courtesy of American Indian Health and Diet Project

Day Four: Soul Cakes and more!

In case I haven't bragged enough over the years, while my upbringing was not Catholic, it was rich in REAL history and I am so blessed to have had it.  A favorite from my childhood? Oh, around this time of year my father and my mother who were both amazing musicians and singers would pull out their guitar and banjo respectively and sing me this song:

Yup - my parents were that cool.  I knew the "Soul Cake" song about the same time I knew how to walk.  My mother also made the delectable little cakes/cookies herself.  For those of you who don't know about Soul Cakes and the original "Trick or Treating", going from home to home on All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day for a cake from the mistress of the home in the words of the great Paul Harvey... "and now you know".

So before you go out today, tomorrow, and Saturday to beg for a treat from the neighbors, just remember, it all started with the Catholics - yup - yet another thing the Protestants can properly "blame" on us.  We are responsible for "Halloween".

Over and above the "extras" in your schedule please remember that tomorrow is a Holy Day of Obligation so if you plan on attending Mass in the morning for your obligation, set out clothes the night before and please limit candy to prevent the amount of long term bouncing off the walls before bedtime. 

And no, I don't mean the kids - be kind to your waistline - those pesky holidays are right around the corner - only pinch a few treats from the buckets and then set them aside or even consider trading out your kid's treats for a book or special treat they've been wanting.

Now, let's start talking turkey - all that Halloween candy in our home becomes the basis for holiday baking!  Anything miniature is often set aside to be melted down and/or put into cookies whole.  Solid chocolate bars are saved for melting and putting into homemade ice cream as well as some of the candy bars which we chop up and add in at the tail end.  Caramels are saved to be melted down and used in a variety of holiday treats.  So, don't be afraid to go grocery shopping in those treat bags.

Now, make sure the few things you plan to tackle over the next few days are reasonable with all the extra things you'll have on your schedule.  Tomorrow is the first Family Mission Friday on our schedule and I'm looking forward to having your families pitch in and help.  For those who are new to Catholic Creativity, Family Mission Friday is when we enlist our families in our efforts to increase the pairs of hands available and decrease the workload on Mom.

In the meantime please know I will be praying for the deceased in your families and I pray that you will join me in praying for the deceased in mine.

The Era of Preparation: Day One

Welcome to Day 1 of The Era of Preparation!  So glad you joined us here. :)

Today is going to be a Monday and EVERY Monday we are going to focus on recovering from the weekend. :)  I know between Mass, social obligations, and extra humans in the house my Monday is always my catch up day and so it will be for us too. :)

So, here's the list of this Monday's "Ten To Do's"

1. Gather up the trash and get it out of the house.
2. Get the dishes done and put away.
3. Relocate the bathroom sink from the toothpaste of "getting ready for Mass toothbrushing" and other weekend atrocities.  While you're at it, gather up all the towels and anything else soft in there that can be washed and run that through the laundry.
4. Pick a cleaner(s) of your choice and run through the kitchen real quick.  Okay - now stop running through the kitchen and actually take the time to clean it.
5. Straighten up the living room and have the kids do a quick run through of the areas of the house that they inhabit.  Even my 18 month old can pick up toys and dust with a microfiber cloth.
6. Gather any items needed for All Saint's Day costumes AND clothes for Mass and get those into the wash today so they're ready on time.
7. Pull out what you need for dinner and get started a bit early so you have some buffer time.
8. Make a list of all the "extra" cleaning things you need to get done between now and Christmas.
9. Find your day planner.  Mine seems to have magical feet that pop out of it when I'm not looking.
10. Sit down with your day planner and your list.  (We'll do this together below.)

Okay - take a look at your list.  Is there more than 30 items on it?  Then you're going to need to do more than 1 a day.  Can you group some of them together?  Do some take longer than others?  Now, make a schedule of these "extra" things that need to get done and get ready to do 1-2 (or however many necessary) and plan out the ones you're going to tackle this week.  Next Monday we'll sit down and handle next week's.

For the remainder of this week, we're going to focus on those "extras" along with surviving All Hallow's Eve and All Saint's Day.

Please comment below if you have some great ideas for these two holy days and how your family celebrates them.  I am ALWAYS looking for ideas. :)

(Continue to Day 2 or see the original post for The Era of Preparation)

June Planners! And a few thoughts on the side...

I've spent much of my time recently in contemplation.  Thinking about my life, my friends, and grace.  Thinking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and where to find them in my world.

I have come to the conclusion that you have to grow where you are planted.  You must be the change you want to see in the world.

Over and over in my mind I keep hearing this:

What house are you building?  Are you planning your curriculum for next year?  Are you working on a better life for your family?  Are you losing weight or gaining strength?  Are you spending your days finding solutions for your future?

Did you include God in your plans?


And now for the planners for June:

5 Day Girls
5 Day Boys
7 Day Girls
7 Day Boys

Family Mission Friday: Meal Planning

Today we tackle one of the largest problems I hear so you never again stare at a pantry of odds and ends muttering to yourself "what can I make with 3 cans of tuna, ketchup, frozen carrots, and one potato?"

Meal planning isn't just for moms - it's a whole family activity.  There are a few different ways to tackle this.  If you have a small family, I recommend each member that eats be responsible for one day of menu planning - then Mom and Dad take the extra days.  If you have a larger family, consider using a 2 week or more "plan".  Start with just planning dinners and then let it grow to the rest of your day's foods.

Even your youngest children can plan.  If they're able to express what they like, they get a vote.  For "the smallest among you", try this.










Supplies:
Index cards
Markers
Photo Album
Glue/glue stick
Family artist and/or Google

Take a set of index cards and get your computer ready (or your artistic skills if you're braver than I!) and a set of markers.  You're going to have 4 categories of cards.  Starches, Veggies, Proteins, and Desserts.  Pick a color for each and "edge" the card by making lines around the outside so it can be quickly identified by category.  Attach a picture (or draw one right on the card) of the item and write the name.  So, for example, a card may look like this:

Once you have a wide variety of the ingredients your family loves, you start what can actually turn into a game.  Everyone gets "dealt" 2 proteins, 2 starches, 2 veggies, and 2 desserts.  They can then swap, trade, etc to create the meal they're aiming for.  So, if a child had the above "cards" he/she could make his/her meal Beef with Broccoli over steamed rice.

Take the photo album and slide the index cards into the day so you know what day is which.  Block out 5-6 "spots" per day based on your album's layout.  That gives you room to slide in a card with the recipe, a list of other ingredients you will need, etc. 

From this list, you make your grocery shopping list and then just go through the book and compile the meals.  :)

As children get older, you can change the cards to have the meals on them and have them actually make the meal that they've chosen.  Cooking skills never go out of style!

Get the whole family involved with meal planning.  This fun activity helps everyone feel included and reduces the chaos of trying to get dinner on the table every night. 

Pope Benedict XVI and the Papal Interregnum

Today, to the shock of the entire world, Pope Benedict XVI announced he will be resigning at 8 PM Vatican time on February 28, 2013.  As with the rest of the world, our family was stunned by the news.  This is historic for Catholics. In the past 1,000 years of Church history, only 4 other Popes have resigned.  Most recently was Pope Gregory XII in 1415 who sought to reunify the Church after the Western Schism. To reunify the Church, he took the opportunity to revamp the process of choosing a Pope and following his resignation, the first conclave as we now know it convened to elect his successor and end the Schism.  Prior to that, Pope Celestine V and a Pope who never wanted to be elected was the first Pope to declare that Popes could resign and after only 5 months in the Seat of Peter he did so himself, returning to his life as a Benedictine hermit in 1294.

While the next Papacy will begin with something we have never seen in our lifetime, the process of choosing a Pope by conclave will still occur although the timeline and events leading up to the conclave are still in question.  We are expected to have a new Pope by the beginning of Holy Week based on all current accounts.

Most children in our families will not remember the election of Pope Benedict XVI if they are under the age of 13.  Those under 18 would have been 10 and under at the time and likely won't remember it clearly at all.  Lots of questions began to fly in our home this morning as I struggled to wrap my brain around the Holy Father's decision and I decided we could all use a little help in explaining this to our families.

The folks over at Busted Halo made this fabulous video explaining how a Pope is elected.  This is the most concise version of the truth I have found that doesn't include some vast mystery novel. 



For more on how the Pope is elected, there is an excellent series of "the way things usually go" on EWTN about what is formally called the Papal Interregnum or the period "between the reign" of two Popes.

As more information becomes available I will do my very best to bring it to you in everyday terms we can all understand and from resources that are accurate, reliable, and the truth of the Faith.

Special thanks to my friend Wendy who found the video by Busted Halo.  I just heard their radio show for the first time today and while not a long time listener, I am now officially a fan! ;)