gift giving

One thing I have done to make gift giving easier is to have a set thing to give to people on certain occasions.  Gift giving for can be simplified by making part of the choice ahead of time.  For baby showers, I almost always give some handmade bibs and a children's board books.  For wedding showers, I make some potholders to give along with some custard cups with lids.  The gifts can be personalized for the recipient, but much of the decision is done long before the need for the gift. 

surprises

I planted two gardens this year, one at my dad's and the other at the community garden plot.  Each year, I have tried to find one or two things that I have never grown before to experiment with.  This year I chose kale because it is healthy and spaghetti squash at the suggestion of a friend.  Both did well, but I now know that I do not need to plant the entire package of kale seeds.  The biggest surprise is that I actually like spaghetti squash.  I had never planted winter squash of any kind as I do not eat it.  Spaghetti squash proved to be different.  This week I ate it for the first time.  The squash was tasty-I ate it with spaghetti sauce.  It is now on my list of things to plant each year.