Here is a view outside our bedroom window of the snow-covered frozen lake, and this was BEFORE the huge snowstorm we had over the past 2 days here in Northern New Jersey.  I happen to enjoy the snow most of the time, and as Spring gets closer, the ground under the snow is protected from the cold and then will be watered as the snow melts, and our bulbs will begin to come up in only a matter of weeks.

But not everyone likes the cold.  A neighbor friend is moving south, of course this year, the south has had it’s share of cold and snow, upside-down weather I call it…as we’ve just had our first major storm and they have had a few before us. Our neighbors have their house on the market, and hope to take advantage of a tax credit that is available. Buying First Home has it’s advantages right now, because for a limited time you will be able to get an $8000 tax credit…my daughter and son-in-law were able to take advantage of this as they purchased a home at the end of 2009. My neighbors may be able to enjoy the tax credit for those who are home-owners who are selling and moving to another home if they have lived at their current home for 5 years. All of these specials end in April of this year, so it’s a good time to sell and buy.

Weather is making it a bit challenging right now, but by the end of March, and in April, we should see it improve and more shopping for homes, I hope, for my neighbors sake. As for us, we’re going to stay around for a while and enjoy the changing seasons. For those selling, here is a video that explains more:

We have lived here for going on 26 years now, and this house had no gardens when we bought it.  When I put them in they were mostly annuals, but every year I add new perennial plants, hoping that one day they will fill close to 100% of the garden.  I don’t have a lot of sunshine, so it’s challenging to have all the color I’d like, but I’m learning by spending time at websites that sell perennial plants and reading about the different varieties, always looking for plants that will provide color whether there is sun or not.

I do have a lot of Hosta, they make up a large part of the garden up by the house, as you’ve seen from some of my pictures from last summer, and I just add a little color with annuals like impatiens.  Up along the road I have a mix of herbs and plants, would like to add another rose bush this year, if possible, and look forward to seeing what herbs come back this year.

We’re almost there, can’t wait! How about you?

This post is a mix of personal and sponsored information.  

The plants are not hard to grow, and there is no excuse for them not being in my garden, so as I sit here with some snow outside and temperatures of 18 degrees, I dream of planting some in my garden when the warm weather comes.

I am so focused on the medicinal properties, especially of Echinacea Purpurea, that it took a visit to coneflowers.com to make me realize that there are many varieties and beautiful colors to these plants. Vibrant oranges, purples, pinks, yellows, reds and a variety of different petal shapes.

Generally the plants are not hard to grow, and though I prefer heirloom plants when possible, the hybrid varieties available are more suited to some gardens, or containers, as heirloom plants tend to get very large. I noticed that there were hybrid Cone Flowers from some of the top growers.

I hope you are enjoying this time of year when we dream and plan our gardens, do you have Cone Flowers in your garden?

If you ARE doing Farmville, maybe you can let us know about it, you may make a new Farmville friend or two.

(Picture from farmvillehelp.blogspot.com)

Welcome to the first day of winter…and it is wintery here in northern NJ - lots of snow fell over the weekend, as most of you have probably heard on the news, and it’s cold and windy, but the sun shines brightly today! This is Christmas week, and after Christmas come New Years and January, when many begin to see gardening catalogs show up in their mail boxes as they think ahead to Spring gardening…as for me, I like to do my shopping online, and most paper mail ends up in my recycling.

Last summer I enjoyed my medicinal and culinary herb garden, simple as it is, since we have a shortage of sunny property. I’m still eyeing a big section of sunny grass that we gained when a new septic system was put in because trees were removed.  We don’t use many pesticides, and try to make some ourselves, naturally, when we can because it’s not always easy to find chemical-free pesticides and other “green” gardening products that are good for the earth that God has given us to be stewards of.  But now I think I’ve found a source.

You lucky folks that live in warmer climates may already be able to take advantage of the wonderful green, good for the earth, good for the garden products offered by saferbrand.com. I appreciate the time they have put into helping the gardener know about many garden pests, they have a great section on insects that can threaten your garden, and an equally informative section on organic gardening. Since my “green thumb” doesn’t seem to work very well when it comes to growing plants indoors, the “houseplants” section was also very helpful.

There will be events taking place all year to promote organic gardening, and it won’t be hard to keep up with these events because Safer brand is officially on twitter, I’m going to “follow” them on Twitter and invite you to as well.

Twitter and Facebook are the primary, almost only social networking sites that I use, so I was happy to hear about Safer brand’s facebook page, and will be heading over to become a fan after posting this.

I have a post I did a few years ago that is still relevant today about the gifts that the wise men brought to the Christ child…two are herbs, and one is not, but has health benefits. Please visit for the first time, or revisit The Herbs of Christmas, Gold, Frankinscense and Myrrh .

You may also want to visit the following related lenses:

Myrrh, Gift of the Wise Men

Cranberries and the Cranberry Bog

With Christmas coming the snow outside my window right now, with a backdrop of grey trees, is pretty…what we like to see at this time of the year.  But it is cold, and as time goes by, we tend to look farward to spring, and consider making escapes to warmer climates…where it is warm, and you see beautiful flowers like the one above that is native to Jamaica. Something you might see if you were to enjoy one of Jamaicas all inclusive resorts. 

Many, like my brother and his wife and daughter, like to travel to warmer places during the Christmas season, others wait until Spring if they have children and want to travel during their spring breaks. Then there are those who, like my husband and I, are no longer raising children, so can travel if money permits any time of year, and so inclusive Jamaica trips are appealing, as they provide you with everything at a reasonable price, tips included, so that you know exactly what you will be paying up front. This is important with the economy what it is today, and many resorts and travel destinations are doing what they can to help by providing reasonable pricing, and better ways like this to financially plan your vacation. This is what made taking this offer to share with you appealing…we are all trying to cut costs and plan carefully these days.

The website was beautiful when I visited, and there are places like Ocho Rios hotels to stay. Ocho Rios is the main cruise port to the Island, a wonderful place to shop, enjoy a wonderful variety of activities, including beautiful beaches, golfing, polo and famous Dunn’s River Falls for you climbing pleasure. Close by is another popular destination, the resort town of Runaway Bay, one of Jamaica’s most popular destinations, the home to Breezes Runaway Bay.

All the details you need and more are at the links provided. I hope you enjoy a little warmth just visiting the links during these cold months of winter.

Sponsored Post from LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis…all opinions are entirely my own.

Veterans Museum in San Diego, the garden is known as Balboa Park, I believe.

Mississippi State University has a Veterans Memorial Rose Garden.

Plans are underway for what some hope will be a Memorial with Gardens in Indiana.

Here is a page from the site of artist Noelle Carr, a beautiful tribute in floral art, an effort to benefit the Wounded Warriors project.

A simple Vietnam Memorial Garden in Australia.

There are many more, take a little tour yourself using your favorite search engine, Bing, Google, etc., and reflect on what our Veterans have done to preserve the freedoms that we enjoy, and hope to continue to enjoy in years to come.

Related Post(s):

Memorial Day Weekend In the Garden

Some skin conditions are not weather related, however, which leads us to taking a look at rosacea treatment. This condition is one that causes redness to the skin, is a chronic condition that is suffered by women more than men. There are many treatments out there, but one that is making the news and very popular is available at the “live link” above. There you can find all the answers you need about this skin condition, and will also find that your skin needs certain kind of treatment when it is dry, and another when it is oily.

I have learned a lot about this condition through the site, and because I am a female and have fair skin, am more likely than some to experience this, so far, I don’t notice any of the typical symptoms, but am glad for the education received.

I may have a picture of a rose for you in a couple of days…yes, a rose!  I had transplanted a rose bush early in the summer, and it took time for it to become established…for the past couple of weeks, it has had a single red blossom that is beginning to open, in spite of weather going down into the 30’s at night and a few flurries and the touch of snow in my earlier post.  If it can make it through this, it should be a happy, healthy plant when spring returns several months from now…that sounds so far off!