Feeling Ethnic

The July 4th weekend is here!  It will be nice to have three days off (I have work unfortunately).  We are thinking of  going to the beach.  I have a ton of projects around the house that need to be completed (tiling the kitchen floor, finishing my sewing room, staining the front door, etc.).  The Mr. is not very handy, so its all on me.  I can never seem to find the motivation to get my DIY home improvement projects completed.  I'm hoping this will be the weekend.  Anyway, I wore something a bit ethnic today.  I haven't  worn this top or shoes in forever, so I thought I would let them have their moment of glory.  The top and shoes are from India, I love the gold detail.  I am wearing jeggings I bought on our recent trip to Rehoboth Beach.  They are from the Express outlet store.  Let me take a moment to express my frustration at finding clothes that fit.  I am a petite person (if you can't tell from my photos).  I am about 5'1" and 100 pounds (on weeks I don't eat crap).  Which essentially means everything is too big or too long and sometimes both.  This makes the shopping experience frustrating to say the least.  I was not always this small, my weight loss has just made it more annoying.  So, since all my jeans are too big, this lovely number works well.  I have finally found the confidence to wear shape hugging clothes and things in mini form.  So while this newfound confidence lasts, I am taking full advantage and wearing all things skin tight and short :).

Top: India
Jeggings: Express Outlet
Shoes: India (gift)
Belt: Thrifted

On the career front, the initial feedback from the interview was positive.  It remains to be seen if that will turn into a job offer.  No worries though, my boss informed me I am likely get promoted next week (she needs approval from the powers that be).  Sometimes the universe just works in your favor.  Since that is rare for me, I am enjoying this moment while it lasts.  Whatever happens, I am confident it will work out for the best.

The terra cotta veggie garden is doing well.  There was a little hiccup in that I noticed that something was chomping on my buds (my money is on the bunnies I see hopping in the yard).  I bought a barrier thing to put around it to prevent any more damage.  It is not the most appealing to the eye, but hey at least I'll get to see my sprouts grow up.  I am also including the fruits and berries growing happily in the yard.  I picked the wild raspberries yesterday and they are delicious.  I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday :).

Barrier to keep the bunnies at bay

Bush Beans

Carrots

Spinach

Sweet Peas

Radishes

Cucumber

Apples

Peaches

Pears

Grapes

Wild Raspberries

Friday...Finally!

As you have probably guessed from the title of this post, it's been that kind of week.  I have been feeling a bit under the weather lately for whatever reason.  The gloom outside certainly hasn't helped.  Hence the lack of posts.  I didn't wear anything all that exciting this week.  I find myself getting a bit lazy on the outfit front.  Monday is the new week, so I am going to put in a little more effort.  On my one hour drive home the other day, I was thinking about creative ways to keep my brain entertained on a daily basis.  I think I am going to start theme weeks for outfits, lord knows I have enough clothes to do that.  This coming week will be my first theme week.  I figure this will keep me in a creative frame of mind as well as looking stylish (well, that's the hope anyway).

I have some great progress to report on my terra cotta vegetable garden.  While the weather has been bad for the mood department, it has been fantastic for my plants.  With the exception of the carrots, all the seeds are sprouting (the spinach is too, but they were to small for decent pics)!  (Those were some damn good seeds, many thanks to my work dad.)  Some tiny tomatoes are also growing.  They still look a little sad, but hopefully they will be feeling better soon.  Below are some pics I took today of the portable veggie garden progress.

Oh, and any suggestions for theme week #1?

Sweet Peas

Cucumbers

Bush Beans

Radishes

Tomatoes!

How to Plant a Patio Veggie Garden

Today I decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and do some gardening.  A couple of weeks ago I bought some tomato plants at Lowe's for fifty cents.  I of course then proceeded not to plant them.  Wanting to  take advantage of my newfound motivation, I decided to pot my tomato plants and create a mini veggie garden.  This is an easy project and perfect for small backyards or apartment dwellers.  Now you might be asking, "Sunduri, don't you have a backyard?"  The answer is yes, I indeed have a backyard.  It is also a large one at that.  I could plant my future veggies in the yard, but I don't know if the soil has heavy metals, I have a dog, and it would require me to build out all sorts of things since it is not a level yard.  That being said, I have some fruit trees that are finally begining to yield some fruit.  So perhaps sometime in the future (after having the soil tested) I shall plant things in my backyard instead of in pots.

Back to today's tutorial.  For this project you will need: soil (being an organic evangelist, my soil is, you guessed it, organic), some pots (clay is the best), tomato plants (or anything you want to plant), and veggie seeds.  I also used some bamboo stakes, since tomato plants tend to need a little extra support.  I like to use clay pots because they retain moisture and are more attractive then plastic pots.  I am using heirloom  seeds today (bush beans, sweet peas, spinach, cucumbers, carrots, and radishes).  The lovely gentleman I work with (I like to call him my work dad), sent me these lovely seeds for my birthday this year. My love of things from yesteryear, and for veggies, makes this the most thoughtful present anyone has ever given me.  So, I thought why not plant some of these charming veggies and make a patio ensemble.  It will be both attractive and tasty.  Below are pictures of the supplies used:

Neglected tomato plants

 

Back of the seed packet

 

 I had all the supplies for this project with the exception of the soil.  I have lots of things like this that have great potential, but I never get around to using.  Well no more, this year will be the year of finishing unfinished projects.  I digress, back to the DIY project at hand.

Step 1: Block drainage hole

Step 1: Put something to block the whole at the bottom of the pot so that the soil does not spill out.  I used a leaf for this purpose, a paper towel or napkin, work well too.  

Step 2: Pot your plant  

Step 2:  Fill the pot halfway with soil and place your plant on top.  With tomato plants, I like to plant them a little deeper so that their trunks grow thicker and are more sturdy.  After this, cover the plant with soil up to the lip of the pot.  You don't want to put soil all the way to the top. 

Step 3 & 4:  Now it's time to add the seeds.  The advent of modern agriculture has resulted in monoculture planting of crops.  Not so long ago (and still in some parts of the world), plants were grown together for optimal food production.  For example, beans add nitrogen to soil, so when planted with other crops (like tomotoes) it results in healther and more bountiful yields.  I am planting bush beans, snow peas, and spinach with my three tomato plants.  Cucumbers, radishes, and carrots are going to be planted in smaller pots.  Hopefully, this variety will make for an attractive arrangement.  Another idea is to plant edible flowers with your veggies.  This too, makes for a very attractive potted ensemble.

Step 3: Make small holes for seeds

Step 4: Place Bush Bean seed
 in hole and cover

Step 5: Planting seeds in soil

Step 5:  For the rest of the seeds, follow the instructions on the seed packet.  Some seeds will be required to be planted  1/2 an inch deep and others will be deeper.  Spacing requirements will also vary by veggie.  Below is a picture of the cucumber seeds I planted.  I like to plant these types of vine plants three at a time. This helps give plants a little more support, and if one seed doesn't germinate, you have two more for back up.  Once all your planting is complete, water thoroughly.  As in water should be coming out from under the pot.  Watering needs will vary depending on the weather.  You want to keep the soil most, not soggy. 

Below is picture of the finished product.  I have three pots with tomato plants with spinach, sweet pleas, and bush beans respectively.  Three more pots have cucumbers (the slightly larger pot), radishes, and carrots.  I'm not sure where I am going to put them in the yard yet.  They might go on the patio, or maybe by the swing.  That is a decision for another day (I will be sure to keep all of you updated).  Right now, they will be in semi-shade until the tomato plants are a little stronger.  I hope this was a helpful tutorial.  Happy Father's Day Everyone! :)

All done!

Finally Spring

Well spring has finally arrived.  Boy are we having April showers.  Given the less than stellar weather, we better have some extra ordinary May flowers.  The hubs is on a jet plane to see his mother on the other side of the planet.  She has ovarian cancer and has had a serious setback.  My mother in law (who in my opinion is as close to perfect as a human being can get) has been bravely fighting her disease for over a year now.  Unfortunately, her cancer has returned, so her battle continues.  Despite her setback, she is up to her awesome self, comforting her family and just setting an example of a what a model human being should be.  I am glad that the hubs is going, it will cheer her up.  Anyway, this season reminds me of her.  Spring to me is when nature often shows us her awesome beauty (which my mother in law is).  Spring is one of my top seasons, and my dear mother in law is very near the top of my list of favorite people, so I suppose when I see all the flowers bloom, and the gray in my commute burst into color, I can't help but be reminded of the one adult in my life that takes the time to tell me how wonderful she thinks I am AND gives me an example of how to lead my life with grace, compassion, strength, and dignity. I will write about her in another post (she is so incredible, she really should have a whole book written about her), I'm just not up to it today.  So to bring  you the drama of the season, I present to you, the burst of renewal from my back yard:

A Perfect Fall Day - Day 41

Today was a perfect fall day.  It was sunny, in the high sixties, and the color on the leaves are finally starting to show their brilliance.  We primarily stayed home today.  My mother is coming a few days early for our Eurpean adventure.  This means we have to get the house in order before she arrives.  There is much to do and the hubs decided to start the monumental task today.  I did my part by making coffee and organizing what I could.  In addition to house organizing, we also drove around to look at the lovely trees changing color in our area.  I live in a official "Tree City" according to the Arbor Day Foundation, so the fall and the spring are a real treat.  Below are a few pictures of the color change in my yard.

 

The first picture is of a maple tree that is in the front of my house facing the street.  This is a beautiful tree, full of character and age.  The second picture is of a plant that is growing on one of the bushes in the back of the house.  The color was just so pretty I had to take a picture.  This third picture is of a plant that is randomly growing in my yard.  I'm not sure what it is, but the fuschia color is just brilliant.  The picure below is of a tree we saw driving around.  It too is spectacular.











To fit the theme of the day, I decided to go for military green and brown.  The hubs felt that the top didn't really go with the skirt, but what does he know, right?  To be perfectly honest, I picked the top because it is the only one I have that is this particular shade of green.  So with that introduction, below is what I wore today:  I made the skirt, I don't remember where I got the top or shoes, and the leggings are Charlotte Russe.