For years I have had this beautiful little flower--I love them. They edge one of my flower beds. They are biennial but you will have flowers next year. They bloom in the spring to early summer and drop their seeds. It sprouts and grows for the summer and the next year they flower. I live in zone 3 so you could probably do this earlier. Around about the end of April I dig out the plants and separate them into clumps--singles are tucked into the clumps too. I leave a space between them to put a low growing annual. They transplant very well. This way I have a nice edging all spring and summer

Thanks Dan, for another delightful "belly thought"! Tolerating a little herbivore browsing in your garden reminds me of what the folks at the Jack Daniels Distillery call the "Angel's Share". Your idea of amnesty for the insect world reminded me of this poem. ********* Familiar whine in my ear You settle on my forearm Prepare to pierce my skin with your proboscis I raise my hand to strike Wait! What if I let you complete the cycle? You might feed the songbird Who cheers my day. Your larvae might feed the minnow Who feeds the fingerling Who feeds the pike Who feeds me. You might be a meal For the brown bat Whose guano fertilizes Tomatoes for my salad. SMACK! But not today. by Deborah K. Frontiera

I used to work in a gym for several years and I have seen many women work so hard to remove the post baby belly. Some momen are blessed not to have this problem and seem to have a flat stomach within weeks of giving birth. But the majority has to make a choice; they can make improvements through exercise & diet or get rid of it with lipo. It has always been amazing to see the changes in confidence in those that chose lipo. Some even go the whole route with tummy tuck. These women all seem so much happier after and also start dressing in the types of clothing they have wanted for years. They also stop complaining of their spouses and seem to enjoy intimacy for the first time in years. ItÂs a personal decision though so IÂm certainly not pushing plastic surgery. Any way, I have to say those draining tubes for tummy tucks make we a bit squeamish when I have been shown. Don't know if I could do that considering I couldnt even look at my C/ section slice from my first "big" headed son.

I made a LOT of "Sassy Water" last summer (Prevention Magazine Recipe from the Flat Belly Diet). It's supposed to be for weight loss (which I wasn't aware of when I had it at a friends home and asked for the recipe), but it WAS a good use for all those cucumbers and mint from the garden and a nice refreshing drink. You will find several versions of this recipe on-line. I also added a couple flavored tea bags to the mixture like Lemon Zinger, Wild Berry Zinger, Bigelo Perfect Peach Herb Tea or Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion to give it different flavors and colors. If you have a cutting mandolin, it's the quickest way to slice the cucumber and citrus. 8 1/2 cups water 1 teaspoon grated ginger 1 medium cucumber, sliced thin 1 medium lemon, sliced thin 12 leaves spearmint (any mint will work) Directions: 1 Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher. 2 Refrigerate overnight. 3 Strain water. -Grainlady