My Husband's Sili Plant

Three years ago, my husband had his first try of sili when we were eating at one of the famous Beach Resort in Cebu. It was my best friend Ann who brought it. He liked it very much instantly. My husband is a "spicy-hot" stuff challenger. (Sili is small but packs quite a lot of heat. At one time it was even listed as the hottest chili in the Guinness Book of World Records but other hotter varieties of chili have since been identified. It measures around 50,000-100,000 Scoville units which is at the lower end of the range for the hotter habanero chili.) Due to that, he had decided to bring some dried silis with him on his way back here in America.
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My husband then planted the dried silis on a pot with the help of Dad few days after he arrived from Philippines. It was doing great in Michigan, but unfortunately, they almost lost it twice when the winter came that we had to move it inside the garage to protect it from the frost and snow.
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Several months after we moved here in Florida, Dad and Mom came over for a whole month visit and we are very happy that they brought with them the sili plant in a new pot with very few leaves on it. Few weeks later, this is what my husband's sili plant look like, with a hundreds of silis on it. It was never as good as this in Michigan. Obviously, this plant loves the sun here in Florida. Well, what else is there to expect for a plant that came from the tropical island of the Philippines? Every day we can pick few dozens from it and freeze them to preserve them. Now, my husband is enjoying his foods with sili... and he is sharing them to all his friends, too.

Using Safe Insect Spray To Avoid Risks To Human Health And Our Pets.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of SaferBrand. All opinions are 100% mine.

My husband is very particular on organic products. He got it from my Dad-in-law. They are a family with a health consciousness. When we were still in Michigan, we had organic vegetable garden and we make sure that we use safe insect control. Our tomatoes were safe. We thanked God that we didn’t have any bug problems on our plants. Talking about gardening, my husband has a little one here in our new place. He planted tomatoes, green onions, radish and several kinds of peppers. I am happy to say that I always have fresh tomatoes on my breakfast every morning.

For organic gardening safe insect control, EndALL insect spray is the exciting new ready-to-use insect spray. It kills 45 different insects in all stages of life from eggs to adults. Its unique formulation of organic insecticides has been blended to kill on contact. Organic Pyrethrin and soap kill adult and larval stages while Neem oil kills the eggs to prevent infestation. This will help you avoid disappointment with the produce and you can be sure that they are safe for consumption. This product can be safe for use on flowers, fruits, vegetables, lawn, landscaping, ornaments and houseplants. For sensitive species, test a small area of the plant for 24 hours before spraying the entire plant. Plus, it is OMRI®-listed and compliant for use in organic gardening. It is important to have safe insect control to avoid risks to human health, to the birds, and to our pets, too.

If you have a garden, I encourage you to take a look at EndALL for more very helpful gardening tips, products and information.

Stone Bench For Our Garden

How I wish that the winter will be over sooner than it will. I miss the spring time. It brings a lot of fun. It is about cleaning the house, tending the vegetable garden, planting flowers and making your lawn beautiful. On my previous post I was talking about my indoor garden. And in the next few days, my husband and I will be doing outdoor gardening, too, on a small spot in front of our parking space. I am looking forward to it with excitement, and am making plans that have to do with gardening.

I would probably ask my husband of getting some garden benches . I believe it will be a good idea, to sit down and enjoy the soothing atmosphere that a garden can bring. Stone garden benches can provide a stunning accent on the garden. Stone benches are not only great to look at, but they also provide other benefits such as mood enhancer that may have effect on the brain because of its nature materials and is good for over-all well-being. The effect of being surrounded by nature is considered as some form of therapy, too. The pleasantness it brings to our eyes enhances the tranquility and peacefulness of your outdoor living areas and patios.

The image shown is from the site of StoneBenches.com. Isn't it cute? I would like to have one like this, too. They are producing symmetrical design features of stone garden benches and memorial benches , too. Visit their site to see more of the designs and options.

Protecting Our Garden From Animals

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Woodstream. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of the things that I miss in Michigan is the sight of deer all around. There are a lot of deer in that area that at one time, as we were picking up blackberries, a deer was passing behind me. I didn’t know. It was my mom-in-law who saw it and it was very quick. I was so scared after I knew.

If you look and listen closely, deer are very sweet. I personally heard closely their sounds of glee, too. But sad to say that deer has been the most common cause of car accident in that area, too. At one time, while we were peacefully driving going to the campsite, all of a sudden, a dear came from nowhere cross the street. I was very thankful that our car break was good and we were safe. Deer had caused a lot of damage in Dad’s vegetable garden, too. They ate the fruits and vegetables. Deer was always ahead of us in reaping the corn. Oh, how they love corn.

Aside from Deer, there are squirrel, rabbits and (the worse) the groundhogs. I believe groundhogs are the cleverest. They dug an underground tunnel from under the shed all the way to Dad’s garden. Oh boy, they really destroyed Dad’s produces. At first, Dad finds them amusing. He was watching them gathering food from a distant, but later on, they became bothersome that Dad want to get rid of them.

Good thing there is Havahart Easy Set Large Animal Trap is designed to help us get rid of deer in our garden. Its traps are constructed of sturdy rust-resistant wire mesh with steel reinforcements for long life. Mesh openings are smaller than competing traps of comparable size to prevent escapes and stolen bait. And for the smaller unwanted animals in our garden, there is Havahart Easy Set Small Animal Trap . The trap is very easy and safe with release lever located at the top of the trap, a galvanized steel barrier is protecting between you and the animals. This was tested and approved by the NHGC (National Home Gardening Club).

It was a big relief to my Dad-in-law that finally there is a solution to his garden problem, while at the same time, it is safe for the animals, too. He don’t have to worry about deer or other small animals attacking the garden anymore. Visit their website and learn about Animal Trapping Tips and on how to try relocate wild animals.

We Need More Planters

We had a wonderful day today. The weather was perfect. All hands were busy with the gardening. And everybody was excited, too. My dad-in-law bought a lot of flowers of different colors and kinds, but we ran out of outdoor planter to transfer them. We are going to get more outdoor planters and some garden planters , too.
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I found a website that has a wide selection of unique and rare designs of planters; PlanterIxchange.com. They are dedicated in bringing the residential and commercial planters to the internet that would surely be a “head-turners”. Their planters collection are really beautiful, guaranteed low prices and are made of high quality materials. Whether you need planters for your house or a large numbers of planters for your apartments or condo, they can provide you with product depth, knowledge, low prices and customer service needed to help you find a fully customized planter solution.
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I like this one, window box planter . It is made from high quality polyethylene, a vinyl with durable and fade-proof properties. Every planters you purchase from them comes with planting and watering recommendations for sun and water exposure to help you enjoy the flowers for years to come. If you need window box planters, indoor planters, high end planters or decorative planters, PlanterIxchange.com is the most recommendable site to go.

Gardening Day!

As had planned, we did the gardening today. We transfered the flowers we bought to lots of pots. We even gave some pots with flowers to our neighborhoods. We put flowers on our patio stairs, and we plant on the front yard, too.
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The weather was perfect for an outdoor activities. And afterwards, I found out that both my arms and my legs turned a little red already.
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As I was toiling the soil, I saw some worms and felt a little uncomfortable, but a little while after that, I saw a snake!!! That is my greatest fear. A snake!!! It always haunted me even on my dreams. My husband said it is just a garden snake. It is colored black and pale orange. I was really scared. My husband told me that garden snake don't hurt and are not poisonous. It doesn't change the way I look at it, it is still a snake and I am very scared of any kind of snake. I just hope that I don't get to encounter that again... or any kind of snake at all. Please!

I Love Gardening!

I am so excited about tomorrow because my mom-in-law will take the day off for a special reason, we will be planting the flowers and while my dad-in-law will be planting the vegetables. I had never done this before and that is why I am so looking forward to this activity. We got a big lawn and parts of it are the vegetable garden and flower garden.
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My dad-in-law is fond of gardening. He could spend a whole day tending the garden. I wanted to try the lawn mower, but honestly, I’m a bit scared that I might fall and will mess up with its blade. My dad-in-law has all the garden equipments that he could possibly need such as motorized lawn mower, tractor and its attachments.
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Talking about tractor attachments, EverythingAttachments.com is the site to go for your tractor attachments and skid steer attachments . They have been in this business and had gained the trust of the consumers for more than 60 years. Everything that you need to make your garden work easier and lighter, they made it possible. Here you will find everything from a Post Hole Digger , Zero Turn Mowers and a lot more of your garden equipment needs at a very competitive prices than you can every find somewhere else. Plus, you can have them delivered your order directly to your location.

Keep The Deer Away

There are a lot of deer in our area. In fact, I believe that it was a deer that caused the death of Bud. He probably went chasing after a deer that lead him to the street and was hit. I am still sad over the death of Bud. Deer has been the common cause of car accident in our area, too. At one time, while we were peacefully driving going to the campsite, all of a sudden, a dear came from nowhere cross the street. I was very thankful that our car break was good and we were safe. Deer cause a lot of damage in our garden, too. They ate our fruits and vegetables. Deer was always ahead of us in reaping the corn. Oh, how they love corn.
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I just heard about this Deer Off , product of Havahart . It is a battery-powered sprayer that has a patented Dual Deterrent System formula that provides both scent and taste barriers to repel deer, rabbits, and squirrels. The formula contains putrescent eggs solids, garlic, and capsaicin. The putrescent egg and garlic scent, coupled with a hot pepper taste will dissuade deer, rabbit, and squirrels from eating your plants. If the critter gets past the odor, it'll be repelled by the taste.
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This is perfect for us because this is designed for large lawns. This deer repellent has just become more powerful, greener and is proven effective by a Rutgers University study. The best part is that our produces will still be safe for consumption because this is approved for organic gardening by the USDA's National Organic Program. It is really a big relief to us that finally, we won’t have to worry about deer attack anymore. Visit their website and learn about deer control .

Time To Start For Landscaping

Middle of April is about the right time to start working with the garden again. There are a lot of works involve in this project such as purchasing the flower seeds, planning what vegetables to plant and planning for a beautiful landscaping, which is very important, too. Having a wonderful landscape around our house made a good impression to our guest and visitors. It works wonders to the resident; and above all, the feeling of great accomplishment, too.
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Landscaping is both science and art. This requires good observation and design skills. A good landscaper understands the elements of nature and construction, and blends them accordingly. It requires time and patience to have a yard looking its best, especially when large trees or shrubs are being added.
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For your landscaping needs, Houston Landscaping is an expert on this. They are a successful and reputable landscaping company with a high quality service that made their customers keep coming back for more. They are specializing in stonework, landscape lighting, irrigation sprinkler systems, water features, landscape design & installation. They care enough to provide you an awesome landscape with the lasting look you want for your home property and save you that work. Visit their website and start planning for your landscape now.

Long Live, Sili Plant!

Back in 2006, my husband was in the Philippines, he became fond of the "sili". A Sili, also know as Cayenne, is one of the four "power herbs" having a long history and proof of being a very effective medicinal plant. This variety of cayenne, capsicum frutescens, is known as the hottest of all peppers, having a heat level of 9.
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He brought some of them when he came back here in Michigan and planted it right away. Just several months after he planted it, he started to reaped some and enjoyed from it very much. It has been three years, and the plant is still alive now. During winter time, he would cut a branch and moved it to a pot and keep it in the guest room. It is spring time now, and soon we will take it out and it will start to bloom and will give us "sili" again. Long Live, Sili Plant!!!

Fruit Cocktail Tree

I was talking about gardening few post away. Another gardening magazine just arrived this day and it is BURGESS seed & plant company. I was checking each and every items they post in there and one particular item had really astonished me. It made me say, "Somebody is playing a god out there." It is the Dwarf Fruit Cocktail Tree. This is the definition:

"Amazing one-tree orchard! Pick 6 delicious varities from this unusual tree. Plant our Fruit Cocktail Tree when you don't have room for an orchard. Pick nectarines, peaches, plums and apricots all from the same tree. Harvest bushels of fruit. Have plenty for jams, jellies, canning, eating fresh and freezing. Self-pollinating and grows about 10 inches tall. Reach fruit from this little one tree orchard standing right on the ground. And the first bushel of fruit will pay for the tree. Blossoms in spring- fruit in fall. In spring your tree will be loaded with an abundance of blossoms. A spectacular sight for the whole neighborhood to enjoy. This is pretty enough to plant as a specimen tree right in your front yard. Full sun. We send 2-3' trees. Zones 5-8.

Boost Up Your Toddler Botanist

Yahoo! It is March alrady. I am so excited for the spring to take over. I am looking forward to help my dad-in-law in gardening this time. There were a lot of any kinds of vegetables, fruits, crops and flowers last year. Magazines about gardening and seedlingss started to fill our mail box. I was told gardening is not easy as it looks. You have to give it a proper care and the endless combat versus beetles, bugs and other kinds of pest to produce a good quality of vegetables, fruits, crops and flowers. Using pest control must be carefully done and wisely choose.
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Talking about gardening, Safer®Brand is a perfect site to visit. They have a huge selection of organic gardening products that are very recommendable. Using organic gardening products means you care for your young ones because it will be safe for their sake as they want to be part of being environmentally conscious for a healthier earth in the future. Using their organic bug control , you can be sure that your products are safe for consumptions and safe for the toddlers to participate in gardening, too.
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You need not worry anymore if your toddler botanist wants to take part of the gardening. Boost up their passion in gardening. If you are a gardener, visit their website and do not miss to view the featured 5-minutes segment of Designing Space’ host Jodi Dombrowski and Woodstream Corp’s Carolyn Warfel.

Big Tomato

This tomato was from our garden last spring. Can you imagine how big it is with a regular spoon placed on the right side? I have never seen any tomatoes as big this.
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Our family loves eating tomatoes. It is always present in the table on every meal. We had bunches of them during summer that aside from preserving most of them into tomato juice and salsa, there are still plenty of them left that Dad had decided to sell some of them. Iwas amazed at how they sell it. This is how:
They put a table along side on the road with the poster that tells the tomatoes are for sale, at $1 a bucket. What amazed was, people just dropped by, picked up the tomatoes and left the money in the empty bucket, no attending needed. I asked one time, '' What if they pick up the tomato and don't pay?'' My dad-in-law answered, ''Well, if they like to have the tomatoes and don't have the money, they can have it.'' God bless my very kind dad-in-law.

Canning Fruits and Vegetables

This picture was taken from our basement. There in the basement we store our canned fruits and vegetables. We also have a big refrigerator there that stores breads, meats and many more. These fruits and vegetables are our produces here. My dad-in-law has a green thumb, so they say. During spring time and summer, he was on his feet all day doing the gardening. And on early autumn, that's when he start canning the fruits and vegetables which at some time I helped.

I love having garden and I love to eat the fruits and vegetables fresh from your own garden. This is something that I had not experience in my country. And this is one of the reasons that made me wish that winter will soon be over.

Flower Gallery

I had a hard time posting these pictures. I want them to stick together, and its impossible to do it here in this site. So, what I did, I took pictures of these flowers stick together, composed this message and post the pictures from my mailbox. It don't look good. But I just want to expresss my passion in flowers. These flowers are found in our lawn. There are more in my gallery taken from some places, but I will just post the rest on some other days.

Nature really fascinates me. It reminds me of God's beauty and awesome power.





"He (God) is the Maker of heaven and earth, .. and everything in them... " Psalm 146:6 TNIV