Diapers Repurposed

In spite of the weather we are having this spring, I am starting to put my houseplants outside and gathering supplies to make some hanging baskets.  One of these days the weather will be hot and summer will be here.  In fact, the next two days will be pleasant.  Today I started looking at plants.  I went into the much hated big box store for a couple items and went to check out the garden center.  I was looking for a fuschia plant.  I buy a fuschia every year because the hummingbirds love them.  I couldn't find one but my husband spotted one on the half price rack.  It was the only one they had, and I was thrilled.

A nice Fuschia plant for only $5.49

I looked around at some other plants and found another one I liked on the half price rack.  It is called a calibrachoa.  It is a mini trailing petunia.  This one came in a regular pot, and I wanted it to be in a hanging basket.  I had a few empty baskets from last year so all I needed to do was re-pot it.  As I was cleaning out the old basket, I remembered something I had read last winter.  It was how to use the gel in a baby diaper.  Preferably an unused baby diaper.  I thought I would experiment.

A few weeks ago I cleaned my closet.  I came across seven baby diapers.  Now keep in mind my youngest grandchild is five years old and hasn't needed a diaper in years.  I can't explain why I still had these diapers.  Maybe the universe knew I would have a good use for them one day.  Fortunately it was not for my personal use but to use for potted plants.  The first thing I did was soak the diaper in eight cups of water.  Within minutes the diaper absorbed almost all the water.  Who knew a diaper can hold eight cups of liquid.

I laid out the diaper and cut it open.

Inside the diaper was a gel type substance that looks like snow.  I think there is a product you can buy in garden centers that mixes with potting soil that helps the plant from drying out.  This appears to be a similar product.

There was more than eight cups of gel inside the diaper.  I took some and mixed it with some soil.  I placed it in the bottom of the flower basket.  I removed my plant from it's pot and potted it in the hanging basket.  Now as the plant dries out this summer, the gel will hold enough moisture to keep the plant alive until it's watered again.  I googled this process and some people just cut a piece of diaper and place it in the bottom of the pot.  They watered it and added the soil on top.  I imagine that would work too.  From one diaper I have enough gel to pot many plants.  Maybe a scoop of gel could be put in the hole before planting some of our garden plants to keep them from drying out. Hopefully some toxicity won't be transferred to edible plants.  That should probably be researched.   I think anything safe for babies bottoms should be safe for everyone, but stranger things have happened.

My re-potted flower.  Time will tell how well the gel works.

Irises In The Garden

Today I just want to share some of my early spring flowers.  I have several varieties of Irises.  They are the first to bloom along with the daffodils.  Here are some we have blooming in the garden.  Thank goodness for these because this spring our weather has been very erratic.  One day it's warm and the next is cold.  These don't last long, but they are lovely.

Jack's New Project

Here it is Mother's Day 2015 and it feels like it is early March.  It is 58 degrees but with the wind it feels much cooler than that.  I guess it is just the contrast from three days ago when it was 87 degrees.  That was too hot for me, but 58 is too cold.  I know, you just can't please some people.  I say if you're wishing, you might as well wish for perfection.  That would be 75 degrees with a light wind.  One week ago that is the weather we had.  Our grandson Jack called and wanted to come over to build something with Papa.  Jack is in first grade and will turn seven the end of June.  He had gathered his supplies and wanted his mom to bring him to our house.  Apparently Jack had a plan.  He brought a few things from home and then went into the workshop and found an old broom handle and some more scrap pieces.  He laid the wood out the way he wanted it and had me take photos from a couple angles so it would be reassembled to look the same.

I wonder what he has in mind.

Jack waited patiently while Papa gathered screws, a drill bit and a drill/driver.  He had his safety glasses on and was carefully planning in his head.

Can't you just see the wheels in his head turning.  His safety glasses already in place.

So the project begins...

Papa gets the screw started

and Jack screws it in.

Here is the finished project.

We aren't quite sure what it is, but he is very proud.  He says it's an airplane with compartments for stuff.

Most of the grandchildren come out to visit and don't want to go home.  Not Jack.  The moment his project was finished he wanted to go home.  He likes to be home plus he needed to show his family what he made.  Last year he made a birdhouse with Papa, and this year it was this airplane.  Who knows what next year will bring.  He has a big imagination, so it should be interesting.