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Want an organic way to grow flowers, vegetables and herbs, enrich the soil for landscaping plus recycle food and yard waste that is clean and great for the environment?

Give composting a try!

Benefits of composting:
* Conditions the soil
* Recycles kitchen and yard waste
* Enriches your soil which can reduce the chance of plant diseases
* It’s good for the environment reducing the need for chemical fertilizers
* Reduces landfill waste

First, find a compost container to collect kitchen waste from inside your home.

To make collecting food scraps easy, you'll want a small kitchen container to collect
materials that you will add to your compost. There are many options of various sizes
and styles. A few things to remember is that you'll want something fairly small so that you
can easily empty it on a regular basis, as materials will break down quickly especially in
hot weather, which means you want to avoid keeping them too long in your home.

This plastic container and this one both have built in carbon filters that absorb odors and
both fit easily under your kitchen sink or can be left near your door, making it easy to grab
on your way outside, they're the ones that I actually use. Both are lightweight and the
built- in handle makes it easy to carry. I'd suggest regularly rinsing it after emptying to keep
it clean and fresh smelling, filters can only do so much! If you want something a bit
more decorative for the counter, this ceramic version is a nice one and comes with
plastic bags which makes it even easier to compost with little to no clean up!

What can be composted?  I like to use a variety of materials, including kitchen scraps,
paper and landscaping materials. You want things that can easily breakdown otherwise it
will take a long time for your compost to be ready to use.

You'll want a mix of dry or brown things that supply carbon (like leaves or paper) and wet
or green things that supply nitrogen (like food scraps). Make sure to keep your compost
wet and aerate each time you add material.

A few examples that can be added to your compost:
* Grass clippings, leaves, wilted flowers and trimmed dried leaves from houseplants are great
   to add, but I'd say use all in moderation;
* Egg shells;
* Fruit and vegetable scraps;
* Coffee grounds, including coffee filters;
* Pencil shavings;
* Cooled ashes from the fireplace or outdoor fire pit (but in moderation).

Next, either use a special bin made for composting, or like my parents have always done,
pick a space somewhere in your yard, usually a spot that is out of site, where you can create
a compost pile directly on the bare ground. This is by far the easiest and great if you have
a secluded part of your yard, but keep in mind it’s not very pretty!

Composting bins: There are many composting bins available for purchase, some have a
built- in crank like this one or this one, which makes aerating (mixing/stirring) much
easier but if you're looking for a larger bin like the one I use this one, this one or this one hold
a large amount of compost, but you'll need to aerate or mix the contents yourself.

Aerating: It’s important to keep your compost well mixed, especially necessary each time
you add something to your existing compost. Whether you use an aerator like I
have pictured below, a shovel or pitchfork, anything that makes it easy to mix will work.
You don’t need to mix the pile a lot, just turn over the compost to cover whatever you’ve
just added. (keep in mind if you are using an open container, you’ll want to cover food
waste to keep animals from visiting!). Turn the pile once a week to add oxygen, even if
you haven’t added anything new to the pile. Turning the pile speeds up the
composting process.

Water: composting needs water so make sure to sprinkle water regularly on the pile so that
it looks similar to a wet sponge, too much water can cause the pile to rot instead of compost
so monitor carefully. If you’re experiencing a rainy season and you are creating your
compost directly on the ground, cover with a board, plastic, even carpet scraps can work.

When is it ready: when the pile no longer gives off heat and appears dry, brown and
crumbly it’s ready to use. This will vary according to the carbon to nitrogen ratio of your
pile and it could take anywhere from 3 months up to one year for your compost to be
ready for use.

So, a little extra effort each day in recycling your kitchen scraps and adding yard waste
rather than putting it in your weekly garbage pickup can result in the richest soil for
growing fantastic flowers and vegetables!

Happy composting!

The bin that I use

Aerator that I use

Composting directly on the ground

Compost ready to use!

Kitchen compost container that I use

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Feeling stressed?

Needing (or wanting) to slow down and catch your breath?

It seems the busier we are...... the busier we become. Over scheduling seems to be an ongoing trend for so many of us. Work has deadlines, family and children have schedules and commitments and with technology ever present in our lives it can seem nearly impossible to truly 'get away' and have time just for you. My smartphone is always by my side and I am constantly checking my emails...constantly. How did we survive before.....well we did and most likely we were calmer, less stressed, engaged in conversations with people that we actually knew, had more time to do the things we wanted to do and maybe were a little more relaxed and possibly even happier. It's not that technology is a bad thing, on the contrary, but it seems it has taken over our lives and we rely far too heavily on it.

Have you ever read a work email and it just ruined your day/ night/ vacation? You can't go back once you've read it...damage so to speak is done and it's hard to get your mind fully back into your off time. Over time comes the stress of never really being away from your job. Even more problematic when your job is not really your passion.

You may be in a situation (work, family, other commitments) where you can't shut down or choose not to respond to email/calls. But what you can do is use meditation and mindfulness to help ease the stress.

Let's start with a short quiz on your current state of mindfulness. Think through the following questions and your responses, looking for any patterns and what they may mean:

I am able to maintain focus on my most important priorities throughout each day.
I am deliberate in how I manage my devices (cell/email/social media) and don’t get distracted by notifications.
I am able to easily stay focused on the task that I'm working on.
I am able to fully concentrate on the conversations I'm having with others.
I have a tendency for my mind to wander throughout the day.
I have the mental energy and stamina to get through my day.
I am able to stop and think before reacting to challenging situations or difficult people.
I am able to remain calm when under pressure.
I spend time worrying about the workplace even when I'm not there.
I easily forget what I've read or heard.
I have trouble sleeping or concentrating on a task as my mind never shuts down or it's hard for me to sit still.

There isn't a right or wrong answer to any of them, but more a signal that you may need to slow down and listen to your body.

Unsure of where to begin, below is a simple practice to the beginnings of being fully present.

First, and most importantly is to find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted and a place where you can comfortably sit. I suggest wearing comfortable, non-binding clothes and dim the lights or light a candle to set the calming mood.

Find a place where you can have uninterrupted time, it may be somewhere in your home, in the park, near a lake, on the beach early in the morning at sunrise or sunset in a relatively quiet spot, even a quiet spot in your workplace, really anywhere that you feel some tranquility. Turn off your cell phone, even better don't have it anywhere near you;
As you are sitting, start by relaxing, you may prefer to sit or even lay down, either can work as a starting point, the point is to be comfortable and in a safe place where you can relax;
Close your eyes & just be still for a moment, thinking of nothing, just concentrating on how being still feels;
Now begin by focusing on your breathe, Inhale through your nose, take a long deep breath in, filling your chest, hold for a second, then exhale completely through you mouth;
Stay still savoring the moment of stillness for a second;
Repeat 5 times, each time focusing only on your breath and being present in the moment.

When finished, sit quietly for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

At first you may find your mind wandering, make a mental note of what happens~ what you hear, smell, feel and make no judgements, moving back to sitting quietly, observing the moment and focusing on your breath.

Practicing mindfulness is relatively simple but it can for some be difficult at times, the goal is to keep practicing, in time it will become very easy and enjoyable!

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Composting

Practicing Mindfulness

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