I’ve been very abstractly batting around a few concept articles on mindfulness, etc. Maybe it’s time to put the proverbial pen to paper . . .

I saw you wrote that you’ve got baby articles coming, which is awesome!

About the “more furthermore”, I just thought it’s a funny pair of words :) But not only that, I would also lovelovelove to read about HOW you manage to be so “mindful” (as you call it) and organized. Do you have any tricks for getting motivated? Where do you get the energy? Is that how you’ve always been or have you had any help from books or philosophers/thinkers?

Sorry if I confused you with that previous comment! :D Didn’t mean to.

@ Crystal – Well first, you put it into a caffeine and sugar-rich medium, right? If yes, hmm . . . was it especially hot, or especially cold? Too much air flow/breeze? Was there a cloth on top to allow breathing? Other than that I’m not sure – maybe just give it another go!

@ Minna – Like what??!

@ Courtney – I just got my patio garden going, and I’m also doing some ‘experiments’ on my house plants. So yes! Plant stuff to come. Congrats! =D

@ Melissa – MMmmm, Florida is sounding real good from overcast Portland! =(

@ Jenny B – Like Meghan said, peppers and jalapenos are great, as well as all the herbs. Also greens do great, from the delicate salad greens to the hardy bitter greens like kale. They’d be champion patio-growers. You could even try cabbage, or cauliflower. Radishes of corse, and beets too with a deep enough pot. Carrots too, for that matter! You just need to get some nice big vessels. 1/2 wine casks are great and pretty, or building your own wooden boxes. If you’re less concerned about looks there’s always cheap plastic tubs!

@ April – Congrats on the homeownership! Wow, tons of awesome big changes for you. =)

You’ve got it right with the cleaning – bs and vinegar will get you sooo far. Add a little liquid castile soap and you’ve got a great ‘soft scrub’ for mildew, tile/grout, stove grease, etc. Sorry, I don’t have a wallpaper remover recipe! Let me know if you find one!

@ Sharon – I am also grateful for my struggles, so thanks for the reminder of that. I need to look into diatomaceous earth, I’ve heard all sorts of great things. Thanks!

@ Jen (and Ken) – Hey guys! Great to hear from you!

Unfortunately I really don’t know much about skin care regimens. Well, I guess that’s fortunate for me – I’ve always just used plain water and never had any major skin issues, but I think that’s just my lucky area of the gene pool. I wish I had more to offer, I get this question a lot and I just don’t have any experience to speak from. I have heard really excellent things about the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM), if you want to give that a Google. Sorry Jen!

Keep in touch!

@ ann – That is so touching! You must be incredibly proud (and proud of yourself, too, I hope) How very rewarding. =)

I’ve got a series of pregnancy/baby related articles in the works, starting this week in fact . . .

I have grown in pots on my apartment balcony: tomatoes, bell peppers (they didn’t get huge, but they were tasty!), jalepenos, and assorted herbs. I tried growning zucchini, but they were no match for the spider mites that plague my balcony for some reason. Plus they got kind of big and sprawling and were sort of in the way.

If my husband were home, I’d tell you how big my pots are… smaller than is generally recommended, but my tomatoes have always done great. We have something similar to this (can’t find my exact model) http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/growing-systems-for-tomatoes/index.html that we put three plants in.

Wanting More: I’d love to hear some goodness about vegan pregnancy and even vegan baby-dom as Waits moves on to non-mom foods. He is an adorable little argument for vegan pregnancy!

Thanks for sharing all your knowledge, energy and humor with us!