September 29, 2020

Simple Wedding Gifts for Any Budget

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So, you've got your wedding invite in the mail! Before you start planning your hair, outfit, and date for the big day, you've got to think about what gifts you'll give the happy couple. This can be a sore spot for many wedding attendees — what should my budget be? What do they want? Can I go off the registry and give them something that's more my own personal style?


We're here to help! Here are a few of our top tips for awesome, memorable, and useful wedding gifts that you can pick up at any price point.


Registry Regulars

Their registry is there for a reason! The happy pair is ready to start their life as a married couple, and they simply must have some of those adulthood staples to do so. We love this idea which recommends putting together a few items from the registry and making it into a themed box of sorts! Snag that popcorn maker and throw in a few of your favorite DVDs, a cute popcorn bucket, and bam! You've got an awesome, themed date night AND gift for the newly married couple. If they have grilling items on their list, you could put together a few spatulas along with stylish skewers, a few of your favorite sauces and suddenly you have a whole BBQ-themed basket on your hands. Play around — this is your time to have fun!


Cold, Hard Cash

Planning a wedding can get pretty pricy. For many brides and grooms, they'd just be happy to see a few extra dollars back in their bank accounts! You can denote in your card or online payment if you'd like the money to go to any specific funds — think home downpayments, honeymoons, and more! You'll be helping them build the foundation of their new life without having to step foot into a store. If you're wondering how much cash you should spend, check out a few gift guides for inspiration.


Personalized Pieces

Another super-sweet gift idea is a personalized piece for the bride and groom! Personalized Cooking Utensils are something they'll use in their day-to-day life, and with a personalized piece, they'll always remember receiving it on their wedding day from you! There are all kinds of options — from the traditional cutting board to the pizza peel, ladles, and tongs! Grab just one for the lovebirds, or go crazy and give them an entire personalized set. 


Now that you've got a few gift ideas to go off of, it's time to shop! We hope this article helped you pick out an awesome gift for your newly engaged pair.

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September 17, 2020

How To Improve Your Cannabis Growing Operation

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In the United States, there are varying laws as to where you are and are not allowed to grow and sell cannabis. If your state does allow this, then it can be a profitable endeavor. Of course, like growing anything else, you need to make sure you set up a healthy growing environment for your plants. The last thing anyone wants is a poor harvest. Follow the tips below to ensure the best health for your cannabis plants.

Buy Healthy Seeds
If you do not start out with healthy seeds, then you will not have healthy plants. When it comes to growing cannabis, there are generally two types of seeds, no matter what strain you are trying to grow. These are feminized and non feminized seeds. The difference between these two types is that non feminized seeds produce a harvest comprised of half female and half male plants, where as feminized seeds may have different percentages. Do your research to find out which of these seed types work best for what you are trying to grow.

Invest in a Greenhouse
Cannabis plants thrive in warmer climates. However, if you live somewhere cold, you may not be able to rely on the weather to give you the harvest you desire. One way to combat the cold is to invest in a greenhouse. Greenhouses keep the growing area warmer, no matter what type of climate you live in. As a bonus, greenhouses can help to protect plants from gusting wind, frost, hail, and other weather-related problems.

If you want a great cannabis harvest, follow the two tips above. While these tips do not guarantee a bountiful harvest, they can go a long way to improving your odds. Also, when in doubt, ask someone at your local gardening shop what other materials and equipment might be able to help.
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Types of Mesothelioma

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With all of the press on mesothelioma, you might have already heard about occupational cancer caused by asbestos. Although it is relatively rare, with the incidents of other types of cancer being much more prevalent, it is one of the most deadly types of cancer. It comes in four separate forms that doctors have found. Some of these types frequently occur, while others are considerably more rare.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma
There are several ways that mesothelioma can present itself. One of these ways is in peritoneal tissues. These tissues are located in the abdomen, and it is not as common as cancer originating in the lungs. This type occurs in 20% of the cases. An article about epithelioid mesothelioma mentions that almost all types of peritoneal metastatic mesothelioma are in the epithelial tissue of the abdominal wall lining.

Pleural Mesothelioma
This is the most common type of mesothelioma. It occurs in almost 80% of all cases of asbestos-related cancer. This is normally where mesothelioma starts and then metastasizes to other places in the body. When it metastasizes, it often causes other types. In this case, the mesothelioma occurs in the lining or sack around the lungs or the lungs themselves. When caught early, this type has some surgical prospects, but symptoms are rarely reported until the 3rd stage.

Pericardial Mesothelioma
Pericardial mesothelioma is extremely rare, but it is the type of cancer that shows up in the heart's lining. This type causes cardiac effusion or fluid around the heart. Most people do not realize that they have it because the cardiac symptoms are easily mistaken for other conditions. This type can occur on its own or as a result of metastasis.

Testicular Mesothelioma
This is by far the rarest form of mesothelioma. In this type, the mesothelioma occurs in the lining of the testes. Although doctors are not sure how this type of asbestos exposure happens, it so rare that less than 100 cases were reported as of 2020. It is also the easiest type of mesothelioma to treat since surgical removal is a viable option. It may be that it occurs more frequently, but since it is easy to remove, it is mistaken for other types of cancer and removed before testing is completed.

No matter which type of mesothelioma you have, the treatment methods are similar. Some of the treatment options are chemotherapy, radiation therapy and removal surgery. Ask your doctor which option is best for you.
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September 1, 2020

Urban Gardening: How To Grow Sitaw In Pots


It’s been a while since I posted about our vegetable garden at home. What about you? How is your garden?

The rainy season is already on its way, and this is the best time to grow pole beans or commonly known to as sitaw. Although the sitaw can be planted at any time of the year, it has higher productivity when grown during May and in October-November.
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Sitaw is a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals like Vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and manganese.

For home garden or urban planting, sowing sitaw is easy. It can survive using almost any type of soil.

Location is not a problem since the sitaw can flourish under full sunlight but can also survive under partial shade.

How I grow my sitaw?
Sitaw seeds are large enough to have direct seeding method. Sow the seeds at a depth of 2-3cm with about 6-8 inches apart. If you are using pots or recycled pails, you can decrease the distance between seeds. I used to plant 6-8 seeds per pot.
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Sitaw started to emege from the soil.
After 3-4 days, seeds will sprout out of the soil.  
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The leaves is already coming out.
Once it started to emerged from the soil, sitaw grows fast.
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The first pair of leaves.

 And after 2 days, the first pair of leaves will appear.
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In about 2 weeks after planting, the sitaw will need support to cling on as it grows. Place pole beside each plant. I used small bamboo branches here.
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Trellis are already placed for the sitaw to climb.
Flowers will start to emerge and a small pod will start to appear as the flower wilts. 
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Sitaw flowers

Enough water supply is needed to increase the production of flower pod production.
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Sitaw pods
After 7-10 days, the sitaw is ready for harvest by holding the stem and twisting the pod until it snaps off. Once picking of pods started, it can be made with 2-3 days interval.

Like most vegetables, the sitaw is also prone to pests and diseases.
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Aphids damaging the leaves and flowers.
Common pests are beanfly, aphids, pod borer, leafminer, and leafhopper. Using homemade insecticide is good enough to control these pests.

Mosaic virus is one of the common diseases of the sitaw. This is a virus carried by aphids resulting in irregularly-shaped light green leaves.

Another is rust. The first stage of this disease is white spots on the underside of the leaves. The entire leaf will turn yellow and after few days dried up then falls off.

Root rot is also a common problem in growing sitaw. This is caused by a fungus that grows after prolonged rain or excessive water.

One of the most effective control in pest and disease prevention of sitaw is using more resistant varieties, crop rotation, pruning of infected parts, and if needed, using chemicals like fungicides.
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Adobong Sitaw
Here are some of the sitaw harvested from our home vegetable garden cooked straight in the kitchen.

Happy gardening!
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