While reading the latest issue of Real Simple magazine””something which I find very relaxing””I came across a truly unique find called the Message Bean. The Message Bean is a small can about 4 “ high and about 2 “ wide that contains everything you need to sprout a single bean plant. Remember those preschool plant projects where your child brought home the Styrofoam cup filled with dirt and a single bean? Well, the Message Bean is ten times more cool. When this little bean sprouts in a week or two, the plant bears an actual greeting like “Good Luck,” “Happy Birthday,” “Love,” or “Thank You.”

The greeting is laser-printed on one side of the bean with a complementary image on the other. According to the description, “the recipient simply pulls off the foil top and bottom”¦and adds about _ cup of water to the soil. In about a week or so, the bean will poke thru the soil revealing the special message.” I have never seen anything like it, and as much as I love the occasional (in my case, VERY occasional) bouquet of flowers, this would definitely score points.

You might wonder how this fits into our R&R week, and I’ve got two great reasons ready for you. One, giving a small gift (this one’s only $12) that expresses how you feel is always great for the soul. And two, I find it very soothing to have a little piece of nature around the house. So if flowers are a been-there-done-that sort of thing for you, try something a bit more magical and score some points of your own. – Emily

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 22nd, 2006 at 11:17 pm and is filed under Daily Dish. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.