by kathilipp | May 17, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Here is what we are giving up. It may not seem to be a big deal (in fact, many of our friends have never had these…) but it will definitely take some getting used to:
- TIVO (and you have to remember, I married an engineer who had THREE Tivos…)
- All non-essential internet services
- Radically decreasing our food costs (both eating out and grocery bills)
- Vacations
- Non-business books
- Some of our cell phone services
If you’re wondering why we are giving this stuff up, check out yesterday’s post.
So I’m curious – have you ever felt the need to get rid of stuff that was crowding your life and stealing time 
from your relationship with God or others? I would love to know what it is.
by kathilipp | May 16, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Ecclesiastes 7:30 JB “God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising.”
Let’s be clear. No one has ever confused me with Paris or Nicole.
But I do have one thing in common with the bleached blond duo – I’m trying to live a Simpler Life.
Roger and I have been toying with and dancing around the edges of what we want to live without. And then, two big realities hit at once.
- 1. We had more month left at the end of our checks each month.
- We have been feeling a shallowness in our spirits.
We have been so busy running around working for God, that we haven’t had a lot of time to be hanging with God. And let’s be honest, the amount of distractions in my life – almost all self-imposed – have not been helping.
Roger and I are going to be taking some active steps to not only live more simply on the outside, but also to make sure that the actions we are taking are a refection of a growing peace in our inner lives.
We are going to be giving up a lot of stuff, (a list of those will be posted on Tuesday,) but we hope to gain a lot of stuff in the meanwhile:
- More peace
- More connectedness with God
- More family/couple time
- More freedom to help those in need
Am I alone? Do any of you struggle with this desire for a more Christ-centered life? A less chaotic, simpler life? If so, would you be willing to share what your biggest struggle is?
Or maybe you have had some victory in this area. I would love to hear what got you to the place of peace.
by kathilipp | May 5, 2010 | Uncategorized |
I have a friend (we’ll call her Jesse,) who, over the years, has had, let’s say, a less than spectacular Mother’s Day each year.
It’s not that she doesn’t have a great husband – she does. But, her husband never really understood what a great Mother’s Day would be for Jesse. So he would do things she had asked for him to do months before – like repairing the screen door. Let’s just say that wasn’t what Jesse had in mind.
So years ago I suggested that she spell out EXACTLY what she would like for Mother’s Day. After three more years of disappointing Mom’s Days.
Jesse wrote her husband the following letter:
May 3, 2010
Hi Lovey,
I hope you receive this in the manner it is intended: to make Mother’s Day fun, your life easier and our day happier.
Here is a list of ideas that you might find helpful for Mother’s Day. No need to do all of these, feel free to choose from the list. I’d just like a day where for some part of it I feel special. If you or the kids do choose to go the gift route, please no candles, bubble bath, shower gel, lotion, manicure/pedicure certificates or perfume. If you guys decide to do something that’s not on the list, please let me know at the time because as you know I don’t get subtle hints. Also, I want to be able to thank you appropriately.
There is one non-negotiable. While I am not your mom, I am the mother of your children. At some point in the day please take the time to give me a hug, a smile and say thanks.
Ideas:
• Homemade cards from the kids (and you if you want, no pressure)
• A family walk or bike ride (I really enjoyed the hike)
• 2 hours in front of the TV to watch what I want, my way
• You and/or the kids could plan and execute at least one meal, or the whole day if you like (If you give me a grocery list before 8pm Saturday night I’ll even go get the stuff)
• Get the Sunday paper for me
• My choice: cookies or frozen yogurt (either you go get it or take me to get what I want)
• Take me to the store and let me purchase one magazine. Please don’t do this for me, I’d hate for you to get a duplicate because magazines can’t be returned.
• Send me to my room to read Dave Barry and laugh as loud and as long as I want
• Get fruit to make me a fruit salad – including any combination of the following: kiwi, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, pineapple and/or pears
So that no one is surprised, these are the things I WILL NOT be doing on Mother’s Day:
• Laundry – to be done on Saturday (yes, I will need help)
• Cleaning the bathroom – again, to be done on Saturday
• Going out to eat – more trouble than it’s worth and every place will likely be crowded
One last thing. While life is unpredictable and no one can control anyone else, please consult with the kids to let them know that I’d like them to be on their best behavior for the day.
Thank you for helping me to have a great Mother’s Day. Love you. Jesse
Jesse’s husband THANKED her for the letter. He appreciated her spelling it out for him.
If there is one thing I have learned after writing two marriage books it’s this – the reason men stop trying to please their wives is that they fell like they will never get it right.
How do you think your husband would receive a letter like this? Or – having a frank conversation with him about what kind Mother’s Day would work for you?
How have you set expectations for how you celebrate your Mother’s Day in your house?
by kathilipp | May 4, 2010 | Uncategorized |
“Kathi – I have a quick question for you…”
Yep – I get that a lot.
So many people have a story to tell. Whether it’s their own, or one they made up in their head. And of course, the smart thing to do is get some advice from someone who has walked that path before.
So here is an excerpt from a letter I sent to someone – maybe like you – who asked the question – “How do I get started?”
Dear Friend –
You may know some of this stuff already, but in case you don’t, this is where I would tell any friend to get started.
First – here is my agent’s blog http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com
Rachelle represents about 1/2 Christian market and 1/2 ABA (American bookseller asst.). She has GREAT info on her site for anyone in publishing. I always say, don’t tell her I referred you without reading EVERYTHING on her site about her process of submitting your manuscript. (And even then, let me know you’re dropping my name!)
Also here is another agent’s site for an agent who represents only ABA books:
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/
I love his posts. I would recommend that you look thought their old posting and look at Rachelle’s most asked questions. That would be a great place to get started.
Also, I would take a look at books that are similar to yours in genre. If you were writing a book about your cross-country trip with your cat you would need to decide is it more “Honeymoon with my Brother” but with a cat, or “Dewey- The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World”, but on the road. (I know each book is unique, but it helps to know where it fits to be able to describe it.) You need a concise way to describe it to editors and agents. (And don’t say, “There has never been a book like it in the history of publishing. You’re wrong. You just haven’t looked hard enough…)
Finally, the best way to get picked up by an agent/editor is to attend a conference. Start googling writer’s conferences and looking at what might work for you.
A writer’s conference is a crash course in getting published. Classeminars.org has a great conference each year, as well as the Writer’s conference at Mt. Hermon CA. but I’m sure there are some that are much closer to you if you’re on the east coast.
For non-fiction, you will only need an outline and usually the first two or three chapters. (Fiction you need the whole book to be finished. Those pesky editors want to make sure you have a good finish to the book!)
Those are just some things to get you started.
Q4U – If this is something you are interested in doing – writing – what are your questions? I will answer them in the coming days.
by kathilipp | May 2, 2010 | Uncategorized |
First – Here is the winner of our $25 Gift Card to Home Depot KAREN JORDAN!!! Be sure to email my assistant at kimber at kathilipp.com to recieve your prize – and congrats.
And hey – aren’t we all winners since we are all on our way to have fab salsa gardens? If you haven’t gotten started, you can check out all the instructions on last week’s post.
If you need some extra motivation, I am here to give you a week’s worth of recipe based on the salsa garden.
Here is what we have planted:
- a variety of Tomatoe Plants
- basil
- cilantro
- parsley
- peppers
- green onions
In addition to the salsa garden, we are also planning on planting some zuchinni and squash, and I’m going to see about planting some green garlic as well.
It has taken several days, but I have used my womanly wiles to pry Roger’s world famous salsa reciepe out of him. This is the same salsa that he and his brothers Rick and Randy and their lovely wives Debbie and Linda jarred for all of our wedding guests the day before we got married.
I promise you – bring this to any function and you will be the absolute hit of the party.
Roger’s Salsa
12 Tomatoes (or two large cans of crushed tomatoes)
1 can of tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped coarse down to the stemmy part
2 stems of green onion, chopped medium
1 red onion (I use two slices from the center
portion), chopped medium
2 jalapenos, chopped fine (leave seeds in) — if you
want mild salsa substitute Anaheim peppers; if you
want hot salsa substitute 4 habaneras.
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
Combine these ingredients in large glass bowl. If
tomatoes were room temp to start with, I add two ice
cubes and mix in. The following seasonings are very
approximate… I don’t measure. Add the following
seasonings to taste (measurements given are
approximately what I use… ish)
2 T fresh oregano leaves – chopped
1 T cumin powder
1 T coarse ground black pepper
1 T fresh basil – chopped
1 tsp marjoram
by kathilipp | May 2, 2010 | Uncategorized |
OK – first for the grand Prize winner of our 1000 Dates contest:
Brandy at Spotted Smile
Brandy wins a Flip Video Camera – how cool is that?!?
Here are a list of the other winners who all did a FAB job (check out theirblogs – I follow them all!) Each of them will win a library of books from Havest House – the best publisher in the world…
Amy Redelsperger
Heidi Holm (Facebook album)
Christy Richesin
Jeanie
Each of the winners can contact Kimber at kathilipp.com by this Friday and we will get your booty in the mail! Thanks to each of you for making your marriage a priority!
by kathilipp | Apr 28, 2010 | Uncategorized |
### Warning from Kathi – I know this is long and Ann – the author – is way more into dirt than any city girl has the right to be – but she does offer tips for us non-dirty girls. KEEP READING###
Oh – and share your tips or questions below to be entered into our HOME DEPOT $25 Gift Card giveaway! We will be drawing a winner on Friday night!
PLANTING PROCESS
Amend
Once the placement is determined and the dirt loosened we combine a natural fertilizer such as steer or chicken manure or mushroom compost with a soil amender in our case a mulch because we have clay soil. I do not own steer, grow mushrooms or keep chickens, though I know some that do. I draw the line at having a steer in my yard even though it’s important to have good amendments when planting for proper drainage. Good drainage makes gardening much easier and more successful. There have been years when our plants just didn’t grow the way we knew they could. It took a while but we finally have enough composted materials in the soil to have thriving plants.
Wait! Don’t click the close button with the thought that this is too much for you to do. Please consider, for those of you who are stunned at how much effort we put into our plants, there is an alternative. Purchase pre-packaged garden soil and use that.
A really great way to get composted materials is to compost your own from garden clippings and fruit and vegetable trimmings from the kitchen. Worm castings are great too. My daughter’s kindergarten classroom had a worm bin. Easy to do if you don’t mind tending it a few minutes a day and no bad smell, really. The idea is to reduce cost and stay local. What’s more local than your own compost? We add the fertilizer and the soil amender directly to the hole and dig it in until it is mixed thoroughly. Then we add a few extra shovelfuls of amender and plant the tomato or pepper. We have been known to use commercial potting mix for our amender.
?
Planting
The trick with peppers and tomatoes is to plant them deep. If you can remove the bottom leaves and plant it so the root ball is a few inches or more below the soil line you will have a stronger root system. Each variety of pepper or tomato is different and it’s best to plant them with room to grow according to their eventual size usually indicated on the plant marker or ask your Master Gardener. Our neighbors use 5 gallon buckets for their tomatoes and seem to get some nice results.
The Cilantro needs a hole about twice as wide and deep as its root ball. The soil line in the container should be level with the soil line of the root ball. Cilantro grows tall, about 15 inches. Cilantro also grows well from seed.
Onion sets are easy to do. They like the same soil amendment treatment as the other plants. Press them into the ground stem side up and cover lightly with soil and press down on the soil around them. If you live in an area with a short growing season sets are the way to go. Seeds if not planted too deeply, read the packet carefully, can give you a lot of green onions. If you plant new seeds a few weeks after the first planting you will have a longer harvest. Larger onion formation requires more space. As your onions develop harvest them so that you will eventually have onions 4 inches apart.
Support
Wherever you plant your tomatoes they will need support unless they are in hanging containers. If you find your pepper needs support a sturdy stick or bamboo stake threaded through the center is helpful. My current favorite support system is vegetable net with 4 in squares stretched between two steel posts about 5 feet high and as wide as needed for the number of tomato plants you will plant. I like to weave the branches in between the net and I don’t have to tie anything. It’s cleaner and easier to access the fruit if you are willing to weave the branches once a week or more. I remove the lowest branches that shoot away from the line of the net. This makes for a tidier garden and less bulk.
We have used cages with a good deal of success. We found we needed to reinforce with rebar due to wind and rain and tie branches to the cage to keep them off of the ground. There are many web sites that explain different ways of supporting vegetable plants. I saw an amazing, and pricey, tomato cage at the Master Gardener’s sale. It was sturdy, heavy duty, a large cylinder with enough space between the wires to access the fruit and train the plant. It would definitely last much longer than the wire cone shaped support system. Any way you can keep the fruit off of the ground or out of the dirt will do the trick. Be creative and have fun with it.
WATERING
Watering your plants, tomatoes especially, should be done on a schedule and not more than a few times a week if even that. Keep in mind container gardens need more frequent watering than their in the ground counterparts. They do not have as much room to stretch their roots to find water. That said, the less you water the tomato plant the more it will produce flowers for fruit. Having it die of thirst is not what we want either. Watch the leaves. If they curl up and the branch tips are drooping from more than just the hottest heat of the day, it’s time to water. Yellow leaves may mean you are watering too much. In other words if the leaves have shriveled up to look like your great aunt’s wedding bouquet in the display case at the cabin you may want to consider shopping at your local Farmers Market for pre-made salsa and hang up your trowel. On the other hand the onion sets prefer to be evenly moist. This does not mean drenched and soggy. I like the idea of soaker hoses and drip irrigation. My father’s humble yet gorgeous garden for many years has been watered with soaker hoses with great success. The patio container lemon and lime trees on a timer system for watering has been very helpful because I don’t have to water them when they go out of town.
Come on. I dare you! Make a Salsa Garden and add a few grains of salt to the mix.
by kathilipp | Apr 26, 2010 | Uncategorized |
by Ann Stea
CONTAINERS
The ideal Salsa Garden contains onions, a tomato plant, a pepper plant and cilantro. Any container will do if it is the correct size. My container happens to be pretty large and more of a huge raised bed created from half of our backyard lawn. I don’t recommend this unless you have a spouse like mine or are like him and really enjoy digging in the dirt for hours on end. Pottery containers such as those purchased at your local mom and pop garden store or even the plastic ones work really well. My favorite idea is the old plastic recycle containers that are no longer used by our sanitation service. They have holes in the bottom and stack well when not in use. I have a friend who does this and he thinks it’s just great to recycle the recycle bin. Basically anything that can hold enough soil to allow the plants’ roots to spread enough and has good drainage is what will work. You can even try the upside down hanging tomato which takes no space on the ground at all. Tomatoes will need the deepest container about 20 inches in diameter is ideal.
THE PLANTS
There are many varieties of tomato form which to choose. My garden has Ace and Early Girl. Ace is my favorite because we like the density, sweetness and the large size. Early Girls is in our garden because we are impatient and want early tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes work for salsas too and are great in salads. Whatever your preference be sure to check with an expert like Master Gardeners to be sure it will thrive in your conditions. This is true for peppers as well.
Peppers are in the nightshade family with tomatoes and have similar needs. Jalapeno peppers are traditional in my house and the quintessential salsa pepper. One could argue you can use bell peppers in your salsa, which I have and enjoy very much, but hands down Jalapeno is the one. You could go really hot and try Habanero. I do not recommend Bhut Jolokia peppers with a Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) level of one million! Unless of course you really don’t want to live with your GI tract in tact. Seriously, jalapeno is hot enough at 2500-8000 SHU. Habanero is pushing the limits at around 350,000 SHU. My husband planted one and I will not touch it. Choose your poison, literally.
Cilantro is the herb of choice used in many salsa preparations. This is easy to grow and will flower. The flowers turn into the spice Coriander. You can harvest these little balls of spice for other applications.
Onions are part of the ingredient list as well. I recommend buying onion sets. For a container small green onions are my choice. You don’t have to harvest them all at once and can use them as you need them. Seeds can work really well too with onions and ought to be started in the spring.
EXPOSURE
All four of the plants mentioned like to have about 6 hours of sun a day. Remember your climate may determine a different amount of time in the heat of the sun so check with Master Gardeners in your area.
Kathi Here – So are you going to do it? Even if you just start with a tomatoe plant, it is exciting to see it get up and GROW. If you are going to start, proclaim it loud and proud in the comments – OH. And don’t forget – everyone who comments this week will be entered to win that $25 Gift Card from Home Depot!!!
by kathilipp | Apr 25, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Hey ladies – I have spent the week working with Roger getting our Salsa Garden planted. I love the whole dirt digging process and the salsa that results in the in end.
I wanted to share the joys of gardening with all my readers but know that I am woefully unqualified. So I asked my friend Ann to share some of her gardening joys with y’all as well as telling us all how to create our own salsa garden. I plant everything in containers (as I only have a back patio,) but the results are fab. We will be spending the whole week on this little process, and, for everyone who comments during the week, you will be entered into our drawing for a $25 gift card from Home Depot to get your own salsa garden started.
What’s More Locavore Than Your Own Container Salsa Garden?
By Ann Stea
The easiest vegetable garden in the world is the one your favorite kindergartener colors for you using paper and crayons and tapes to your refrigerator. The second easiest might just be a Container Salsa Garden.
This is the legal disclaimer part my lawyer says I must write (not really but you should know) I’m not a professional gardener, nor am I an expert or Master Gardener so you may take what I have to offer with a grain of salt. Or you can try this out and add a grain of salt to your end result. It’s your choice. I highly recommend you try because there is nothing better than salsa from your garden, or eating a tomato that is truly ripe and delicious. In fact I challenge you to give this a try if you’ve never planted a garden, are afraid to try or don’t think you have the time or space. Gardening is a very satisfying way to have organic, local foods. What’s more local than your patio or yard?
My friend Kathi has started a container salsa garden. I thought about the hours and sweat and tears and sometimes blood that has gone into my little family’s garden over the past 13 years and realized, Kathi may have the right approach to this whole green thumb thing. After all you really only need four plants and a shaker of salt and some red wine vinegar, or a lemon borrowed form the neighbor’s tree. Why my husband and I feel the need to grow four tomato (which is a major reduction from our previous seasons), 15 pepper (Italian, Jalapeno, Habanero, and Cayenne), two zucchini, three butternut, a few pole bean and two Big Max pumpkin plants is always a wonder to me.
Then I realize it’s in my husband’s blood. It has to be. His parents live on a ¾ acre parcel which has never seen a lawn. Fruit trees, vegetables, fava beans and almond and olive trees some old time flowers and roses are all over the land. There have been years when they have planted nearly 20 to 30 tomato plants and over a hundreds of fava bean plants. We canned the tomatoes, fried the peppers and shelled the favas. We even shelled them the weekend before my wedding but that’s another story.
The same principles apply in the yard, a planter box, or small containers. Plant in good soil, water, protect from pests, and eventually pick. Okay that’s my dream garden. I live in San Jose, California, it was called The Valley of Hearts Delight long before it was ever Silicon Valley. We are blessed to live in an area where it is easy to grow things. I still have trouble with many plants that just don’t work in our summer heat or suffer for lack of a freezing dormant period. My best advice is to find the kinds of vegetables that work well in your area for your best success. I have found the local Master Gardeners and the folks at the local Farmers Markets to be an excellent source of information about which varieties of peppers and tomatoes grow best in your area. In fact I enjoy purchasing my vegetable plants from the Master Gardeners’ sales in my area. I know the plants started here and will do well here. Additionally I am helping to support my local growers. I guess that makes me a locavore of sorts.
Tomorrow – I will be talking about containers for your salsa garden.
Kathi here – So here is my question for you – what area of the country do you live in and what do you love to grow? Ann and I live in the Silicon Valley where things love to grow, but I would be interested to hear what the rest of you have success with. Leave your answer in the comments and I will enter you in the drawing for the $25 Home Depot gift card!
by kathilipp | Apr 22, 2010 | Uncategorized |
I have an opportunity to work on a project about organization (from the point of view of someone who will never be naturally organized, but has learned how to make it work.)
My question for you is this: If you are not naturally organized, what is your biggest challenge with staying on top of life – is it the house, your family, your schedule. If so, can you tell me what it is? It would be a big help to my project and it is always great to know that we don’t suffer alone…
from your relationship with God or others? I would love to know what it is.
