Kitty Lickfest

Our cats Uma and Kali having a lickfest on our back porch.

How to plant a vegetable garden

"Fun, dirty and gratifying"

How I did it:

1. Researched soil enrichment and plants on the internet; watched the sun pattern for a few days to determine where sunlight hits the plot and for how many hours


2. Created a budget for the project


3. Bought soil enrichment materials


4. Hired someone to till the soil enrichment materials into the plot


5. Created a layout for the planting, after researching what plants should and should not be planted next to each other and what plant supports are required for each


6. Bought plants, tomato cages and a trellis for the cucumbers


7. Put them in the ground, cooing encouragement to them all the way


8. Set tomato cages and trellis in place


9. Water extensively (a sprinkler is a godsend)


10. Put a 3" layer of mulch down one week after planting


11. Continue watering frequently, enough to provide 1 - 3" of water per week (depending on your climate)


12. Talk to your plants regularly during weeding sessions and daily check-in's


13. Harvest vegetables as they mature....Yay!

Lessons & tips:

• Listening to your favorite music makes every task more enjoyable


• Plant summer squash with a lot of space between it and other plants....it spreads, and the leaves will cover everything else around it.


• Take photographs of every stage, so you can track the garden's progress (and show off your handiwork to the world!)


• Buy the largest tomato cages you can find and be prepared to make tee-pee supports out of 6' (or taller) wood garden stakes--set them in place around each plant to form a 3-sided tee-pee shape, lash them together tightly at the top, pound them into the ground with a rubber mallet and then secure the vines to it as needed using strips of nylon hose or old socks.

Resources: You Grow Girl website
Better Homes & Gardens website
My parents :)

It took me 3 weeks.

It made me Satisfied

See more progress on: plant a vegetable garden

This is the cutest picture I've ever taken!

The beautiful head of Gunter is being presented to the world by his faithful lady, Brandy.

I've fallen off the digital planet.

It's a fact, dear reader.

I took a break from the internet while my mom was visiting for two weeks in April, and I've found it difficult to get back onto my digital schedule, as it were.

I'm insanely busy getting ready for the upcoming INDIEana Handicraft Exchange (see earlier post for details and link). I'm currently stuck on making pillows, which are so fun and fast, but I need to switch over to handbags...or I won't have any for sale! Can't have that :)

Here's a mobile phone pic of one of my favorite new pillows:



Let me know what you think!

So, I appreciate your patience. Give me a few weeks to get my work done, and I'll write once again on a more regular schedule.

Ciao!

Current favorite kitty links

Maru's blog (the comments under each picture and video are the best)







The trials and travails of Winston and his side kick, Rudy.










Cute Overload! (Repository of all things cute, animal-related)








Junku's Flickr Photostream: Cat Collection








Stuff On My Cat










Cat Prin (English version, but the Japanese version has many more pictures) Cat Prin is a popular online clothing store for cats.

Emotionally tired.

In fact, more like exhausted...

Tony and I have been trying to get pregnant for one year and seven months. Why did I worry so much about getting pregnant for all those years? I could have saved my money on birth control, that's for sure.

The doctors are absolutely drowning me in hormones, and it's driving me crazy, literally. This is a very lonely experience, and I'm beginning to wonder how long I can do it. It's isolating in every way...I don't recognize myself anymore. I've always been sweet, cheerful and outgoing; now I'm bitchy, short-tempered, sad and don't feel interested in things I normally love. I can't get the word "broken" out of my head...why won't my body work?

I've always wanted to be a mom; I never realized how much of my confidence and self-worth was wrapped up in this one event. If I can't get pregnant, it will force me to relearn who I am now and rethink who I will be in the future.

I've been scared to write this, scared to reveal to the outside world how terrible I feel right now. But it's starting to kill me to keep it in, and not very many people read this blog anyway :) My dear friend Kikii advised that I start writing down my thoughts, lest they poison me while hidden away in my head, and I guess she's right.

So, here it is. Not fun, not cheerful, not comfortable to read. Not to live either, unfortunately.

More positive postings to come, I promise!

Yay! I've been chosen.

I'm super-excited to announce that I've been chosen as a vendor for the upcoming INDIEana Handicraft Exchange, to be held June 13, 2009 here in Indianapolis, IN. It's run by an awesome group of crafters and handmade lovers and has drawn bigger crowds each year.

Check out further details at: http://www.indieanahandicraftexchange.com/

Now, I've got to get to work making everything I'm going to sell. It's going to be quite a busy summer.