31 Day Blog Challenge ~ Day 19

Today's Task ~ Write an opinion post.  


Sharing your opinion with readers is an important part of being a blogger.  That is, of course, my opinion.  I have always thought that blogs were an extension of you, your feelings, and your opinions.  As a blogger you can report on a story and then state what you feel about it.


To me blogging is not just reporting the news but letting others know how you feel about it.  Every blogger has their own way of doing this.  As you read blogs you get a little glimpse inside the mind of the person righting the blog.


I have given my views on "In Lieu of Flowers", buying local, ordering flowers from places like pro-flowers, and I even have a full post full of rants once a week.  These give my readers insight into the way I think about things.  I give them important facts and mix in a few of my opinions on the matter.


What we, as bloggers, have to remember is we are not reporters.  We are allowed to think, and post, outside of the box. 


To see where this challenge has taken me go here.

In Lieu of Flowers

"In Lieu of Flowers".  As a florist these words make us cringe.  For centuries people have used flowers to honor the deceased.  As florists we can not imagine a time when this will not be true.  But more and more we are seeing "In Lieu of Flowers" in obituary listings across the country.  Some of our customers have asked us what they should do, they too are accustom to sending a tribute in the way of flowers.

We suggest you make the decision.  If you feel strongly about sending flowers, plant, or any other type of tribute that is up to you.  The family may not want an excessive amount of flowers to take home.  They may also want to support an organization or group that helped them in the past.  Consider sending an arrangement that can be left grave side.  Also most funeral homes take arrangements to nursing homes and hospitals if the family just can not take them home.  Your flowers will not be wasted.  They will find a loving home and provide comfort at the service.  

We always tell our customers that flowers at a funeral are for the living.  Flowers have also been shown to provide comfort in a time of grief.

Easy to Care For House Plants

Are you looking for a house plant that is easy to care for?  Do you have a not so green thumb?

Here are a few house plants you may want to consider for your home.

1. Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra Elaitor) - Sounds sturdy doesn't it?  Well that's because it is.  This plant can grow just about anywhere and flourish.  This plant can be grown inside and out.  It works great for ground covering on the outside of the home or as a small potted plant inside.  This plant can grow in low light, so it would be perfect for the office.  This plant can tolerate temps as low as 28 degrees and can also handle higher temperatures, it is a tropical at heart. This is a slow growing plant so have patience with it.  The sturdy and long lasting tendencies of this plant are suited for a novice grower.

2.  Christmas Cactus (zygocactus) - This plant is just beautiful in the home during the winter.  The blooms start in early winter and should go through the Christmas season.  This flower likes cooler temperatures and should be kept in a nice dark room in the evenings.  We found a wealth of knowledge about this plant here.  This plant does need more care then the Cast Iron Plant but will be a nice starter plant for a novice.  

3. Bird's Nest Plant (Sansevieria) - These plants are easy to grow and can tolerate droughts.  If you forget to water your plants this is a great one to have.  It can go up to 2 weeks between water cycles.  It can also grow in a variety of temperatures and lighting conditions.  

4.  Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum).  This is a beautiful blooming plant that is very easy to take care of.  When it is thirsty it will droop.  This will alert you to when it needs to be watered.  Once watered it will perk back up and look as good as new.  Make sure that your Peace Lily gets a nice spray of water regularly because it does enjoy the humidity.  

5.  Pothos (Epipremnum)-  This is another one of our favorites.  This plant can grow up to 10 feet and can be pruned back to grow fuller.  You can even take the pruned stems off and they will grow new plants.  These plants do not need a lot of water but should not be allowed to dry out to much or it will cause wilting.  Grows well in a variety of lights and is touted as almost impossible to kill. 

We invite you to check out this Easy Care site to find even more great easy to care for plants.  

Make sure you stay tuned for the rest of our series in House Plant Care.

5 Things to Consider When Choosing a House Plant

Top 5 things to consider when choosing a house plant.

1.  Pets ~ Some plants can be toxic to pets.  Several types of Lilies for one are very harmful and can even cause death in cats.    Cats have also been known to use the soil in the pot to plant things of their own.  Dogs can also knock over pots and plant stands.  When choosing a plant with pets in your home choose a non-toxic plant.  You may also consider hanging baskets or plants that are small enough for windowsills.

2.  Children ~ Some plants can also be toxic for children.  Children can also place things in the soil that may not be healthy for your plant.  We suggest hanging baskets or keeping your plant up out of reach of the small children. 

3.  Allergies ~   Some blooming plants may aggravate your allergies.  The last thing you want is to decorate your home just to wake up to swollen eyes and a runny nose.  There are several types of house plants that may help with allergies and some that even seem to give relief. 

4.  Lighting ~ Decide what room in your house you want your plants in.  Watch the sun in that room to see the direction of the natural light.  Will the plant get early light, mid day sun, evening light.  What about the direction, North, South, East, or West.  Knowing this will help you find the right plant for your room.  Most house plants will grow well in any type of natural sunlight.  Some are more sensitive to the degrees of light they will need. 

5.  Your skill level ~ You may want to start out with an easy to care for house plant to begin with if you are just starting out.  As you become more familiar with plants you may want to get more adventurous in your plant buying.  Try things you like, what appeals to you, and what you are drawn to. 

31 Day Blog Challenge ~ Day 18

  Todays Challenge ~ Create a Sneeze Page.  Aaacchhoooo.


This page will list the best and hottest posts that this blog has to offer.


I looked at feedback from facebook, twitter, and blog comments.  I also reviewed the most popular pages according to Google Analytics.


This was very helpful in not only creating my list but to see what my readers like.  We created a tab at the top of our page called: Hot Topics.  This page will connect you, the reader, to our most popular and most read posts.


I also plan on doing something similar on my other blogs as we finish creating our series on funerals, plant care, and fresh flower giving.  These can then be highlighted on the Hot Topics Page for each blog.


We look forward to adding these pages to make the blogging experience better for you.


Your feedback is welcome.  Tell us what you would like to see on the Hot Topics page.

A Guide to Ordering Funeral Flowers

We hope that you find the information in this guide useful.  Ordering funeral flowers is never an easy task.  Our goal is to make the process easier on you.

You will need to gather as much information you can about the funeral arrangements.  When you call your florist the are going to need the basic details on the arrangements.

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  The name of the deceased - We know this may sound strange but it does happen.  If you are sending flowers for a family member of a co-worker for example you may not know the full named of the deceased.  We always recommend asking someone close to them for the details or checking in the obituaries.  If you are unable to find out the name we can normally find that out for you based on the details you do know.
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  The day and time of the visitation - We recommend having the flowers sent to the visitation rather then the actual service.  This gives the family and friends an opportunity to admire the arrangements.  This can normally be found in the paper or online through the local newspaper.  If it is a recent passing it may take a day to get into the local paper.  Your florist can verify the information you have when the paper lists the information.  You can also call the funeral home or have your florist do that for you.
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  The location of the visitation - More and more visitations are taking place at churches.  You will need to know the name and possibly the address of the church.  This again will be listed in the paper or online.  A call to the funeral home handling the arrangements will also help you find the location.
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  Making your selection - You can use our selection guide to help you decide the type of arrangement you would like to send.  If you know what type of flowers or colors are favored then you could even incorporate those into your selection.  Your florist can help you select the arrangement or gift that best fits your needs.
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  What kind of sentiment -  Your florist will have several types of cards to choose from.  Most popular are, With Deep Sympathy, In Loving Memory, and Our Thoughts and Prayers are With You.  Decide how you would like to sign the card.  If it is from a group of you the best way to sign would be something like, The Staff at ABC company or Your Friends at ABC company.  If it is from a family, we suggest, The Smith Family or Bob and Jan Smith.  You want to avoid getting to wordy with this card.  It will be seen from a distance so your florist will have to make it clear and easy to read. 

A few more things to remember.  Your florist will need to have your flowers to the location at least 2 hours before the visitation starts.  This allows time for the funeral directors and staff to arrange the room for the family before the private viewing.  The family viewing normally starts an hour or so before the actual visitation.  In emergency situations your florist can take the flowers to the visitation a little late but this practice is frowned upon by both the florist and the funeral homes.  The sooner you can order the better.   We understand that sometimes word is not received until the last minute, this occurs a lot when family and friends are out of town.  Your florist will work with you up to the last minute, but you may need to accept what they have to offer rather then a custom design.  You can always send flowers direct to the home of a family member if you do not receive word in time.  Also flowers taken to the burial, if the burial takes place on a later date, would also be appropriate. 

Here are a few links that will help if you are sending flowers to the Decatur Illinois area.

Decatur Herald & Review Obituary Page.

Brintlinger & Earl

Dawson & Wicoff

Graceland Fairlawn

Moran & Gobel

Tanzyus and Logan

Walker

The Secret Garden

1215 E. Pershing Rd.

Decatur, IL 62526

217-875-9038

31 Day blog challenge ~ Day 17

Today our challenge was to have someone else read our blog for the first time.  We were to watch them read it, see what drew there attention.  Then we had some questions to ask.

I fixed my husband a big cup of coffee and had him start reading.  He had some interesting suggestions, things I had not noticed.  It always sheds light on the subject when you can look at it from another perspective.

Here is what he had to say:

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  He thought that the layouts were lovely.
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  When asked what he thought this blog was about he said, "31 day blog challenge"
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  It was easy to read, navigate, and understand
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  He thought that it was a bit crowded and maybe going down to 2 columns would clean it up a bit.
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  He suggested moving some of the information to tabs or other pages.
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  He liked the layout and the design.

Overall he enjoyed his experience and I value his input. 

I think the advice he gave can make our blog more appealing to others as well.  I look forward to working on this again over the weekend.