Independence Day Activities

Do you have any plans for the Fourth of July? If you don’t, it’s not too late to make plans. Here are a few ideas for activities to do on Independence Day.

• Have a family cook out
• Buy a volleyball net and invite friends over for a game
• If it’s too hot to be outdoors, have a movie marathon (maybe watch “Independence Day”)
• Go out to one of the many different Fourth of July firework spectaculars
• Attend a concert. Many large venues hold Fourth of July concerts
• Have a picnic for dinner. You can sit outdoors after you eat and watch fireworks go off
• If there’s a lake nearby, take a day trip to swim, fish, and enjoy playing around in the water
• If you’re getting together with friends to watch or shoot off your own fireworks, you might want to spend the morning baking treats. You can get your kids involved and make it a fun family event
• Organize a Fourth block party. Have your neighbors over for burgers and hot dogs. The kids can get involved and have their own Fourth parade using their bikes and wagons
• Visit a war memorial or museum and think about those who have lost their lives guaranteeing our freedoms

Decorating for Summer

Summer is here! Have you made any thought to decorating your home for summer? Some people don’t really redecorate for do anything special for summer, but you don’t have to do much to add a little summer flair to your home.

Fresh summer flowers, of course, make a perfect addition to your summer home. Just order an arrangement from your local florist or, if you raise your own flowers, cut a few and place them in a nice vase. Put the bouquet on the dining room table or in another prominent place.

Add some light colored pillows, sheets, and other accessories to your bed. Summer is a time of light, airy décor, so put away your darker colored bedspread and go with something with a summer print. You can do the same thing with your dining room table’s tablecloth and place mats.

Some people put out a new welcome mat in front of their front door during the summer. Pick something with a fun summer picture or design on it.

If you want to change up some of your wall décor, hang up some floral prints, outdoor images, and other pictures with bright colors. Most people decorate with lighter colors or even pastels in the summer and use the darker, bold colors for winter.

To change up your living room, put out some new throw pillows and maybe switch up the items on your coffee table, if you have one. Put out some coasters that feature floral images or change out any candles you have decorating your living room.

Overall, to get a nice summer feel to your home, go with bright summer colors. Change things like pillows, small decorative items, and add some flowers to make your home seem more alive and bright.

Great Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Father’s day has rolled around again, and for many, that means going from store to store before decided on getting dad yet another tie or gift card. There’s got to be something better out there, right? Here are some cool gift ideas for dad.

Outdoor cooking items - Father’s Day is right at the start of summer, and that means grilling! Buy your dad some new grilling tools or even get him a fancy new grill if he needs one. Cookbooks, an apron, and some lawn furniture are other nice items for the outdoor cook.

Fishing supplies –If your dad loves to fish, hook him up with a new pole, lures, a tackle box, and other fishing supplies. Who knows, maybe he will catch a whopper and grill it up for you.

Sports items – Fathers who enjoy a good game need good equipment. Buy dad some new golf clubs or golf balls, a new catcher’s mitt, or a new tennis racket.

Wine – Many men, especially older men, learn to appreciate a nice glass of wine with a meal. Pick up a nice vintage for your dad to enjoy next time your parents have a dinner party or the next time they celebrate a special event.

His favorite movie or television series – Many classic TV and movie series are now on DVD and blu-ray, and they’re very affordable. If you know your dad loves watching MASH reruns, get him the entire series!

A geeky toy – There are a number of different websites out there that offer unique little gizmos and toys that dads are sure to love. Does he need a Star Wars lightsaber that actually lights up? How about a USB coffee cup warmer to keep his morning java warm? Maybe a mouse pad with his World of Warcraft character on it? All of these and more are available for the geeky dad.

Plants and gift baskets – While we can’t help you find a talking Yoda for your dad or a bottle of wine, Wildflower does have several different ideas for dad. Some dads do like flowers, and we have several arrangements designed for men. We also have gift baskets full of gourmet fruits and candy.

The History of Roses

Roses have been around forever, but few people actually know the true history of the flower. In fact, few people know just how old the rose is. According to some fossil evidence, roses existed 35 million years ago! That’s ancient!

Roses were cultivated hundreds of years ago. Some research shows that they were grown in China about 5,000 years ago, but the first hard evidence of roses being grown was during the time of the Roman Empire. Rome traded extensively with the Middle Eastern kingdoms, which great many roses. They were often used in medicine, for perfume, and as decoration. Roman nobles quickly took to the idea and imported roses, creating huge rose gardens in Southern Rome. However, following the fall of the empire, roses went through periods of high and low popularity.

In the fifteenth century, the rose often appeared in the seals and symbols associated with different noble families in England. This reached its high point with the War of the Roses, fought between York and Lancaster. York’s banner was marked with a white rose, while Lancaster’s forces fought under the red rose.

During the seventeenth century, royalty had come to regard roses as one of the most important flowers. They often hired professional rose gardeners, and at times, the rose was even used as a major bartering unit. Josephine, Napoleon’s wife, loved roses, and she grew many of them at their home at Chateau de Malmaison. During the 1820s, painter Pierre Joseph Redoute painted many watercolors at the chateau, creating his “Les Rose” collection.

The modern-day rose has its roots in Europe. During the late 18th century, many roses were imported from China and grown in Europe. These roses were repeat bloomers, something that European gardeners found fairly rare. Many began breeding these roses, creating hybrids between the Chinese roses and the roses found in Europe. The resulting flowers had a long blooming season and were very hardy.

Today, roses are very popular, especially on anniversaries and Valentine’s Day. If you want to show someone how much you love them, roses are the go-to flower. They’ve been around for ages, and it looks like they will continue to be popular for many, many more.

Going Green is Easy

Do you think saving the environment is an impossible challenge? It might seem like it, but it really is possible to make a few little changes and go green. You don’t need to buy a hybrid or install energy monitors in your home (although you certainly should if you can afford them). These small, easy ways of going green are a great way to do your part.

Use cloth bags for grocery shopping.

Take shorter showers to conserve water.

Ride your bike or walk to work.

Carpool or take the bus if walking isn’t an option.

Ask your utility company if they offer energy supplied by wind farms.

Look into having an energy audit to see how you can conserve power at home.

Turn off the lights when you leave a room.

Unplug electronics when they aren’t in use (they draw a small amount of charge while plugged in).

Recycle!

Use thermal curtains in your home to help save on utility costs.

By vintage clothing and used books. In addition to often being cheaper, vintage clothing can look really cool!

Use social networking sites like Facebook to send out invitations to events instead of mailing paper invitations (although use paper invites for weddings and major formal events).

Request electronic bills from utilities and credit cards. Also go to electronic bank statements if you can.

Get off junk mail lists. This saves paper and gets rid of annoying mailbox clutter.

Buy in bulk. It’s cheaper and uses less packaging.

Use cloth items whenever possible, such as cloth diapers and cloth napkins. Also avoid using paper plates and paper cups when you can.

These things may not seem like a big deal, but they really do save on resources and energy. They’re also very easy and cheap. In fact, many of them save you money! Why not go green? It’s good for the environment and your bank account!