Growing Italian Delights

(Family Features) Fresh veggie pizza, spaghetti sauce, and pasta with pesto sauce-sound incredible? You'll be happy to know that you can grow your own fresh Italian ingredients simply and easily right at home.

Water and Feed. If you water your garden regularly, feeding about once every two weeks, you'll be amazed at how beautifully your plants respond. You can combine tasks by using Miracle-Gro Watering Can Singles mixed right into your watering can. Mulch. Protect in-ground plants by putting down a layer of mulch around them. This will keep weeds from cropping up and will help your garden retain moisture. A two-inch layer should do the trick.Directions: Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Slowly add water and knead until the mixture is the consistency of bread dough. Break off a piece of dough and roll it into the size of a baseball. Make a hole in the center of the ball big enough to hide treasures in. Fill the hole with treasures and seal with some extra dough. Let your treasure stone air dry for two or three days or until hard or bake in the oven on a cookie sheet at 150 degrees for fifteen to twenty minutes. If you would like to tin your Treasure Stone, add one tablespoon of powder tempera paint to tint.Rainy days during the summer can be particularly difficult for children and parents alike. A great way to make these days go by quicker is by keeping lots of craft supplies on hand. You can also print out free printable coloring pages and crafts through http://www.dltk-kids.com/. We keep lots of construction paper, play dough, crayons, and coloring books on hand for fun and creative activities during the day.Directions: Cut the rubber band in half. Tie a loop securely on one end of the rubber band. It should be big enough to fit around your finger. Use a garden hose or water faucet to fill the balloon � of the way with water. Blow air into the balloon until it is the size of a tennis ball. Tie the balloon shut. Securely tie the rubber band around theknot on the balloon. Place the rubber band loop around your middle finger and gently throw the balloon toward the ground. When the balloon springs back toward your hand, try to grab it.Water Balloon Yo-Yo
1 small balloon
1 large rubber bandWe also purchased a small cooler lunchbox for our day trips out which is a great investment for the family. We take this everywhere and fill it with the day�s lunch or snacks while we are out. Filling this with healthy snacks and food will save you money as well as saving you from a less than healthy trip to the drive-thru when you are out on one of your day trips or just running errands. This cooler can also be used when grocery shopping for keeping your ice cream and meats at cool temperatures.I then linked up with Lisa Smith, who works at the hotel, to get a tour of the facility. Lisa took me into the tropical courtyard that is the signature feature of the Cairn Croft Hotel and explained that the name of the hotel was derived from its original owners whose last name was Cairn, and from the word �croft�, which is Scottish for �inn�. Even today the hotel is still family owned and a friend of the owners hand-painted the faux-stone pattern on the walkways surrounding the tropical courtyward. Lisa pointed out that this property was the first Best Western hotel in Canada and has been extensively updated in recent years. The company Best Western Motels was founded back in 1946 which originally was an informal link between properties, where each hotel recommended other lodging establishments to travelers. As far back as 1962 the Best Western Hotel Chain had the only hospitality reservations system that covered all of the United States and Canada.A kiddy pool and sandbox can be a great investment for the summer as well for the younger kids. My son spends hours playing in his sandbox and kiddy pool and the investment was small compared to the hours of enjoyment he can get from these. If a family member is looking for a gift this summer for a birthday or just because, suggest buying one of these items so that you don�t have to pay for these yourself. We asked for these items for our son�s birthday and also used our anniversary money to put towards a family zoo pass for the summer.Having satisfied my hunger I was ready to get truly up close and personal with the Falls: the �Journey behind the Falls� is one of the best ways to experience the true power of the Niagara Falls first-hand. I took the elevator down to the lower level at the Table Rock Centre and started my own journey behind the mighty Falls. Known until the early 1990s as the �Scenic Tunnels�, this attraction consists of two tunnels and an outside viewing platform. The tunnels date back to early 20th century and extend about 46 m behind the waterfall. I walked down the long underground corridors with their orange lighting and stopped intermittently to read the informational posters on the wall. These displays provide a description of the history of Niagara Falls, its geology and some of the famous visitors who include President Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, who were both here on separate occasions.Just outside the Imax Theatre�s screening room is the Daredevil Gallery that features a number of the interesting and diverse vessels that were used by various daredevils to go over the Falls. One of the most famous was a 63-year old school Teacher named Annie Edson Tayler whose story was also told in the Imax movie. Joined by with her cat, she was the first person to go over the Falls for a publicity stunt, in a wooden barrel, cushioned by a big mattress. Unfortunately, her much hoped-for public speaking career never materialized and she died as a pauper.

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