Hiatus

I have been away for a whole nine months! Whew! By now, I should have given birth to a baby. :) 

In a way, I did -- I have re-discovered my love for growing things. I am now a quasi serious container gardener, propagating succulents, growing tomatoes. And even started becoming an entrepreneur. 

Green pepper grown from discarded seeds from my kitchen. 

Can you believe I actually had lemonade from freshly picked fruits right out of my garden?

I had so many things I wanted to write about. Memories and experiences that made my motherhood journey enriching. My darling little rascal Kate is more than a handful. She's now in a stage when anything that fascinates her merit the level of excitement only a child would have. She reminds me to retain that childlike wonder so often gets buried in our jaded adult life. 

She loves airplanes flying over our roof. She'd be giddy with excitement waving at them from our tiny balcony. She loves to "swim" so every weekend we trek to the village pool and she would wade and do jumps with me.

Kate at 22 months! Trying to assert her independence and scaring the wits out of me. 

I also live by those teaching moments when she would remember to say her magic words -- please, thank yous, and sorry. Sometimes it's very tempting to just brush off the offense. She was too cute, anyway. But I hold my ground, most often than not. I make her realize that what she did is wrong. Many times, I get rewarded with a fierce hug and an quite "sorry, mommy."

And work life that I juggled (and continue to juggle) while not missing out on the milestones of my kid. In the months that have passed however, living the experiences took center stage. I enjoyed the sleepless nights, the early mornings, frantic work deliverables and the little everyday nothings that filled my day. 

Every now and then, though, I would think about going back to this personal space. By nature, I love to share. And perhaps, anyone who would happen to drop by will pick-up something even if it's just a hint of a smile on the things that make to the pages of this journal. 

I went through a long hiatus. Makes me nostalgic and dreamy. And hopeful of the many wonderful things I claim to unfold. 

I promised myself to share more. Sit down more. Write more. 

Xx

Container Gardening

The biggest downside to big city living is the lack of space. There is hardly a plot of land for any attempt to cultivate a garden, never mind the dream of a true pocket garden. Lately, I have been caught by the nesting bug. 

I am always on the lookout for any greens that can be added to our tiny apartment to make it seem more livable. And to allow it to breathe. There are still a few more pieces I would like to plant but I think what I have now is a good start. 

After much false starts, I actually did the the digging and re-potting of the plants we have at home. 

A few weekends ago, I went to the hardware store to buy my gardening tools. 

Then two weekends ago, we went to Sonya's Garden and saw these gorgeous herbs. 

Tarragon and Mint. Plus, Kira's gifts: succulents. 

Basil. And the castaway plants from a conference I attended. The aloe and that other plant I had since summer. 

I live on the fourth floor so I usually line them up on the balcony floor to avoid any accidents especially when it's windy. 

I patted myself for a job well done. I managed not to kill any of my potted friends yet. Then, my mom shared on what she had done with our left over vegetables. Curious we went to our laundry area. And these are the potted plants thriving there... which by any measure look better than mine. 

Kangkong. We can harvest in a few weeks!

Ginger. 

This plant is the healtiest among the potted ones I have. 

I also have greens rooting in water placed either in vases or in used bottles. 

This weekend made me realize that I can have my own potted vegetable garden for fresh ingredients to our home-cooked meals. Or just for garnishing on dishes. 

A while ago, I planted cherry tomato seeds. Hopefully, I'll see some sprouts in the next few days. In my wish list are a grafted pine tree, a lemon tree, lettuce and potted hydrangeas. 

So looking forward to the next long weekend to scour the city for plants and nice pots. 

Do you wish to have your own pocket garden, too? What have you planted so far?

Xx

Sheng