Maybe one more below freezing night and then, we’re warming up! Very exciting news!

Let’s recap the first quarter of the year: Ice, Ice, Tornado, Snow, Flood, Flood.

We should be talking about memorial stones and benches, but inquiring minds want to know? Do you make your bed?

June-Gonna-Eat-That posed the question and frankly I think it’s fascinating and here’s why:

For the first 10 years of my marriage I made the bed everyday, because I knew it pleased my man. But every morning, he found fault with my mad bed making skillz. And the bed making disagreement set the tone for the morning. Every day. For 10 years.

10 YEARS!

So, I stopped making the bed. And one day, about a week later, Mr. Greenjeans said, “You stopped making the bed. Why?”

And I explained to him, I hated starting the day out having an argument over MAKING THE BED.

By then, I had already conducted an informal poll mostly with men, to determine if bed-making was an important quality in a woman. Results indicated that it wasn’t a deal-breaker. And lots of people start their day with an unmade bed.

And somehow, we got through it. And now? The bed is usually unmade.

What about you?

While wandering about the garden and weaving our own web, we just about crashed through this work of art. Should have got a better angle on this, you could actually see the web shooting out of his blow hole!

Next, we want to show you a quick and easy example of a memorial garden we’ve done in a small side bed on the west side. And yes, we have weeds.

We’ve used the iron garden angel and a personalized garden memorial stone that can be customized with your choice of artwork and font styles. The pieces weather well, and are on a small enough scale to be discreet in your garden as well as easily relocated if needed.

For families that have chosen to scatter the ashes of a loved one or just want a special place to remember a special person or pet this is an easy and cost effective solution.

Fall is an excellent time to start your memorial garden.

Even if you don’t have a million dollars to re-landscape your outdoor living space, you can still create a memorial garden or outdoor sanctuary in a small space on a shoestring.

Depending on how elaborate you want to get, a bench and a few low maintenance plants will do. Expand on the idea with an arbor, pergola or trellis. Outdoor lighting? You can do it in phases, or as your finances allow. Next season, add a fountain or water feature.

Feel like you need to get your hands dirty and work the earth? What about this intriguing garden design? It can be done on a small scale and filled with easy care plants.

Want to dedicate a tree or sacred spot in the garden? Customize a garden memorial stone or marker from the Urngarden.

It’s never too late to start creating your healing garden, in fact this is a great time to find outdoor furniture, plants and accessories on clearance.

Today’s tip: Create a sanctuary for yourself.

When we stroll through the garden, we’ll stop and pay tribute to the makeshift memorials we find. At the elementary school is a marker dedicated to a school employee who died suddenly. A tree has been planted in his memory. Simple.

Sometimes planting a tree in your loved one’s memory can give the family a place to return to honor the loved one. Tree plantings can be marked with a tree dedication stone personalized with artwork and the departed’s name and dates

At the high school nearby there’s this simple roadside memorial.

A more elaborate memorial is tucked in a quiet corner of a nearby bed and breakfast.

Memorial stepping stones, memorial garden plaques, as well as a statuary or garden memorial sculpture are other ideal ways to memorialize your loved one if you are limited in space because these items can represent your loved ones’ personality. Garden stones and garden benches can be used indoors or out, and are all loving touches in your sacred space.

Regardless of the memorial garden that you choose best represents your passed loved one, memorials can be used to heal, restore, and remember the time and life that your loved one spent on Earth.

Today’s tip for better living: Get your hands dirty!

Yesterday, we covered various ash scattering techniques. As the cremation rate climbs, people are looking for creative and memorable ways to carry out the wishes of their loved one regarding their remains. Although many take home their loved ones ashes in a crematory urn , it is estimated that 21.7% plan on scattering the remains at some point, up from 17.8% in 1997. For this reason, planning a ceremony for the scattering of ashes is an important aspect of consideration.

Since many funeral home directors include scattering services in their funeral packages, it brings up ideas that many traditional-minded families may not have considered. This is a time that decision making can be difficult and overwhelming,and given that the ceremony is one that is ingrained in one’s memory, the choice is important because it is often the only opportunity that you will have to honor the loved one and the life that you shared together.

When choosing ash scattering as the method of cherishing the memory of the person, it’s important to take into consideration particular areas that may hold a great significance to the one that has passed on. This is a particularly meaningful part of the grieving process, because it allows the observing family to have a visual image of their loved one resting  in a place that they cherished and spent much of their life surrounded by. Some people prefer to photograph or video tape the ashes being scattered over this place as a constant reminder that they will be surrounded by an area that they loved.

Even for those that choose scattering as a method of dispersing ashes, many families still like to have a small portion of the ashes or a lock of hair incorporated into a small memorial such as a piece of cremation jewelry or keepsake urn. Others prefer creating a memorial that may include a memorial stepping stone , memorial garden plaque, or a statuary or garden memorial sculpture to honor their loved one. Garden stones and garden benches can also be used indoors or out, and all create loving touches in your sacred space. Whatever your decision, this is a personal choice that is meant to honor and represent your passed loved one as well as heal, restore, and remember the time and life that your loved one spent on Earth.

Greetings!

We’re looking for inspiration in the following areas:

Organization
Garden design
Life in General

Let’s start with organization. Problem: File cabinet bloated and bursting at the seams. Easy to fix, maybe later. Our inspiration for organization comes from Jeff Schragg, from the Daily Events. He is the master of feng shui office design.

Garden Design: Part of the vision of Urngarden was to offer memorial garden tributes. We’re chipping away. Check out our new statuary, more to come.

Life: Where do we go from here?

Was thinking about Mr. Stone and how his family will handle his arrangements. I’m guessing it won’t be a religious service. What were his passions? His flicker account indicates beautiful floral photography and young girls. Maybe some of his friends will give a eulogy. Always a nice touch.

Cans of ashes at the Wal-Mart? Several years ago, one of our east coast relatives dropped dead in The Wal-Marks on a Sunday morning.

And then today’s Dear Abby letter. Shady indeed.

Some would disagree with today’s tat:

Today’s social experiment: Stand facing everyone in the elevator.