There are lots of great DIY bird feeder options – some of them are cute and pretty, and others are very functional and green, since they’re made of recycled products. Here is a selection of my favorite ideas:

As I approach week 32 of pregnancy and am trying to catch up on the mountain of work that lies ahead of me before I have this baby, I’m thinking to myself that there’s no way this is going to happen before summer officially kicks in here in South Florida, since it’s already pretty hot outside and it’s only April. Plus I’m pregnant, which automatically means that I feel the heat x10 compared to a non-pregnant person. The very last thing I feel like I want to do is get on my hands and knees and dig the weeds out of the garden and replant new plants. If I’m going to do it, it needs to be in the next week or two, since our forecasted temperatures are a high of about 81 and a low of between 68-72 degrees. Not to mention, we are going into summertime, so that means I need to do a bit of research as to what will actually survive the summer heat until the fall.

I’ve been Pinterest-ing lately to see what kind of inspiration I can find for my garden. Some of what I’ve found is really cool looking and not something I would put together on my own, and other sites are chock full of gardening tips.

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One of the plants I’d like to grow again are strawberries. They are pretty easy to grow, very exciting for kids to tend to, and there is nothing more fun (for a little kid) than grabbing a couple strawberries off the plant to have for an afternoon snack. This site has some tips for growing them more effectively.

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I thought this diagram was pretty neat. While I enjoy having a garden, I don’t know much about the science behind growing different plants, and the idea that there are plants that can help other plants grow better is pretty cool.

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Like most people, I’m a fan of pretty things for the garden, so these home-made garden stone markers really appealed to me. I could totally make them with Zachary one day as a rainy day activity. Just need some nice stones!

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I always liked the idea of a hanging basket of plants. I have been thinking about something to do to pretty up our front porch, and this would be fresh and fun! It’s also a good idea for plants that tend to “take over” a garden, like basil or parsley, since they would be contained more easily.