Inspirational Quote: Our Battles
Printable Football Scrapbook Pages
My Kitchen Garden Is Thriving
I spent some time in my kitchen garden checking on my babies and pulling weeds. The only negative that find in gardening is weeds. In the above picture are Sugar Baby watermelons, cantaloupe, and a yellow watermelon which I have never grown before.
I cut down on my peppers this year. I have an orange, red and green belle. I lost my white belle. I have a Tabasco and a jalapeno planted as well.
My Blue Lake pole beans are starting to climb. Hopefully I will have a good crop. I did remove the weeds and laid a path of newspaper and leaves to help keep the weeds down.
My sunflowers are getting huge. I started these in bottles during the winter. You can see my post on Greenhouse Bottles here.
I have a small bed of lettuce, which is looking good. I have a shady spot, that receives some sun, so I’m going to start another bed this week. Homegrown lettuce taste so much better than store brought.
My cucumbers are starting to climb. A few have latched onto my make-shift trellis, but it looks like I will have to train one. I used left over rabbit fencing for my trellis staked with 2 fence posts. Last year I used a bamboo trellis, it didn’t work very well. I have Marketmore, Lemon, Boston Pickling and Salt and Peppers cukes in this area.
This is garlic, which I will be digging up in another 1 – 2 weeks. This is the first season that I was able to grow it successfully. The first season I planted in the spring, and it did not do well. I planted this crop last fall and it has done great. The leaves are starting to dead back, so it’s getting close to harvest time. I can’t wait to use fresh garlic in my recipes this summer and into the winter.
Stay tuned for a future post on the other veggies in the garden. I’ll be starting my seeds for my fall crops, cauliflower, kale, spinach, and collards. What’s growing in your garden? Leave a comment and I’ll stop by to check out what’s thriving.
Do You Choose Looks Over Character In Relationships
While on Facebook yesterday a friend’s post comes through my feed. The description was “Adorable” and it was a picture of this man who had just been sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for fraud. I was familiar with the young man, Apollo Nida (below). He starred on the reality television show Real House Wives of Atlanta. I looked again to make sure I had read my friend’s description correctly, and yes it was in deed Adorable. My reaction was Oh My God not another women drooling over a convicted felon. I commented on her post, and stated “What he is, is a white collar criminal.” Her response was “True.” If it’s true, why wouldn’t you speak on that rather than his looks? I don’t understand our thinking as women at times.
How does a woman who just reads an article about a man who commits fraud, bilks millions from businesses by the use of Identity Thief, and is now leaving his wife to raise two toddlers on her own considered the man “Adorable?” She disregarded all of this and focused on his looks. I don’t get it ladies. I like a little eye candy too, but if he’s a criminal I can’t find the attraction. Did you see the smoke as I was running away, it all goes out the window for me.
Several weeks ago this picture went viral of another convict. Women went crazy over this guy, he’s charged with a felony and he’s an alleged gang member. They actually helped raise money for his bail. I find it hard to believe that we as women can be so superficial, and than we wonder why we end up with superficial. You know the men who leave us drained, bruised, and beaten if not physically than emotionally. We don’ bother to look beneath the surface, we’re mesmerized by those chiseled cheeks and baby blues. When we finally wake up, we’re left with children to raise on our own and wondering how we’re going to make ends meet. We’re surprised when they end up back in jail. Isn’t that where they were when we found them.
In the case of Apollo Nida, (top photo), his wife is an attorney and just received her licence to open a Mortuary. An educated woman, but she married him after he was convicted of felony charges charges years ago. Not only did she marry a felon, she has two toddlers with him. Now she will be raising the boys on her own, because he is returning to jail. His reason for returning to a life of crime was because his wife was making more money, and he was trying to keep up with her. He had no respect for his wife or his children while he was committing these crimes. He slept beside his wife and pretended to be a role model for his children everyday for years. He has now been exposed once again for who he is. Was his wife really fooled or did she get caught up in his looks too and turn the other cheek? Only she knows.
I believe that people deserve second changes, and many who have committed crimes are capable of turning their life around, but there are also those who will never change. How do you know what you have? Sorry I don’t have the answer to that question. Relationships and love are a risk, so we must dig deep and move slowly so we can find out who that person really is before your start drooling, giving up your money and committing yourself. Getting beyond looks should be number one in my opinion. Now don’t get me wrong there has to be a physical attraction, but I need to get to know you on a spiritual level as well as your values, your background, credit history, relationship with family etc. I have a list that I use now. I honestly can’t say that I was very smart in selecting a mate in my past, but my eyes are wide open now.
Ladies, we have to be smarter in choosing a mate and what we say. Move beyond the physical and look at who he is. Ask questions, look at his childhood, but most importantly look at his heart. If a man shows you who he is, believe him. When you read an article or post and the man is handsome, but has wronged his family don’t overlook his character. It makes others question you or at least wonder what’s going through your head. Know that you deserve better than a man who only has his looks going for him.
Guide to Companion Planting Book Review
I am now a book reviewer for Crown Publishing, a subsidiary, of Random House. I will be reviewing various books published by their company. I jumped at the opportunity to become a member, I love to read and I also love to have reference books around if I need to refresh my memory on a particular subject. As you know, I’m a home gardener. I received a copy of The Mix & Match Guide to Companion Planting by Josie Jeffery to review. This book was heaven sent, as I companion plant my kitchen garden.
I was impressed with the book when I opened the package. The cover and binding of the book are beautiful. It would be easy to wipe off dirt or accidental spills and the illustrations as you see are just lovely. It’s a hardcover book with a strong binding. You won’t have to worry about this book falling apart, it is quality.
The book is very detailed, but not to a point where you would loose interest in the details. For example, it gives the history of companion planting and how it is used around the world. It provides information on soil preparation, manure, composting, and setting up rain barrels to help water your garden. This is information that you truly need to know if you want to become a sustainable gardener and do it efficiently and at minimal cost. I have been composting for years, added manure, have devised a method to keep weeds down, but have yet to add a rain barrel. I hope to add a barrel this summer for next year’s use.
Lets move to the content. I love how the book is designed. The book is set up with 2 cards, for a lack of a better word. One card has the name of the vegetable/flower along with information on when to plant, where it should be planted, growing tips and when to harvest. Opposite the first card is the second card which shows a beautiful picture of the plant. The content is set up with three sections, which is great if you want to hold your place to make notes on a particular plant, but still want to browse another section or find a particular plant in another section.
In the back of the book is a place to make notes. I think the books to beautiful to write in, so I would make notes elsewhere. It also contain an index in the back of the book, which will help you find a particular page for the plant you wish to research.
I have this book a thumbs up and 5 stars. It’s actually one of the most beautiful and informative gardening books that I have come across, and it’s an easy read. The book retails for $17.99 in the states and $20.99 in Canada. I would encourage you to purchase a copy, especially if you’re a beginner gardener. It’s a great reference for the advance gardener as well. I’m grateful that I now own a copy.
Note: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
If You Want To Be Mentored You Must Show Up
People can be transparent if you’re willing to look hard enough. Several months ago I was contacted by a young lady to be her mentor. As a single mother who survived raising my daughter, I reach out and try to help other single mothers on how they can be successful too. I can relate to being a teen mom, getting married, divorced, and left to raise my daughter and fend for myself. I don’t post about my mentoring sessions on Mother 2 Mother, because of privacy reasons. It’s personal for me and personal for the person being mentored, but I do post on my experiences because moving forward is hard work and not for the faint at heart. If I can pull someone else up or help move them forward, it does my heart good.
Being raised in a dysfunctional/alcoholic home, teen mom and divorced category was enough for me. I knew I had to break the cycle, and so I did. Breaking out of these categories requires a willingness to listen, accept where we come from, and hard work to get out of it.
Before I accept a position as a mentor for young ladies and not so young I have a test that I give. It lets me know if the person who is requesting to be mentored is serious about growing and moving forward, if they’re willing to do the necessary work to survive as a single mother, and allows me to see where their head is. I ask 4 questions and I require a written response. I like for it to be in writing so they can reference it during the course of their journey and it serves as a reminder of where they started when they arrive finally at their destination. Here’s the questions:
- Tell me about your life and how you ended up where you.
- Tell me about your children and your relationship with your ex.
- Where do you want to be in 5 years?
- Are you willing to work to educate and better yourself? If so, list 5 goals.