Incredible High End Gifts for Girls

Despite the state of the world there is plenty of evidence in high end stores and online that we still like to spoil our little girls. For instance did you know there is now a category of art sales for children known as canvas art for girls? These are not the usual posters that hang on the walls. These are paintings in stretchers meant to enhance the room of your special princess. Pop art is popular in this category and you will find all kinds of images of large psychedelic flowers so that your child has something to meditate on. Large pink abstract pictures of ballerinas, ballerina slippers and tiaras are also available to decorate the perfect little girl's room. Stylized pictures, done in the French illustrative style with lots of curlicues and swirly writing of fairies, flowers and scenes from the lives of storybook princess are also very popular.

High end bedrooms for girls should also have lots of mirrors. There are many pretty styles available including ones that are topped with tiara and crown designs done in jewels and crystals. You can also get heart shaped styles with pink glittering pave rims. Many of these designer mirrors will run you between $400 and $1000 which is a reflection of just how pampered rich kids in 'the 1%' can be nowadays.

Bedding for little girls can also be insanely expensive and luxurious. The company Addison, which is famous for it's floral tea sets (and tea sets for kids) makes floral patterned luxury curtains, headboards, cornice drapes and bed canopies that retail for thousands of dollars. However these products are exception and done in beautiful greens, yellows, oranges and pinks and have fantastic graphics of flora and fauna on them.

Little girls (and boys for that matter) can also now eat from high chairs that look like they came from the palace of Louis XIV in France. There are ornate styles with round backs, leopard print fabrics and expensive wood trimmings. Some of these high chairs are ornate, white and made out of imitation ivory. They also retail for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per design.

Little girls can also now take personalized totes and lunch boxes with their names engraved on them. You can also buy lots of other kinds of bling for little girls including pink fluffy tutus, skirts made out of satin roses and t-shirts emblazoned with rhinestones.

How To Pick the Last Tomato

This summer my kids and I grew a gigantic crop of tomatoes and we should try and pick them all before the last frost. It is probably best to pick your tomatoes before they are fully ripe. This means harvesting the fruit at first blush.

A tomato picked at first sign of color and ripened at room temperature will be just as tasty as one left to fully mature on the vine.  Picking tomatoes before they turn red reduces damage from birds.

Never refrigerate tomatoes picked immature. Place them in a single layer at room temperature and allowed them to develop to their full color. If you want them to ripen fast, place them beside a bunch of bananas. If your tomatoes are green there is a simple way to tell if they are ripe enough to pick. Simply harvest one tomato and cut it open. Examine the seed inside the fruit. If the seeds are covered with a clear gel, which causes them to move away from the knife, then that fruit will eventually turn red and ripen. If the seeds are cut by the knife then those fruit will never properly ripen and you should leave the unripened plants on the vine or bush a little longer.   

Tomatoes should be firm and blushing with color before you even think of disturbing them on the vine. They are of highest quality when they ripen on healthy vines and in daily summer temperatures that average about 75°F.  This is also the best time to pick them without traumatizing the plants. P

icking tomatoes in wet weather is not recommended as it may wound the plant and make it susceptible to viruses and bacteria.  Never rinse a tomato plant before you pick its fruit either. To pick a tomato politely, grab it by its base and give a short quick twist.  Avoid tugging and pulling at any part of the plant. If the plant is tall and gangly, you can brace its stem gently with your other hand. Make sure you have not been smoking or handling tobacco products before you do this. Fresh ripe tomatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, refrigeration renders them tasteless and turns the flesh to mealy mush.  Flavor and texture begin to deteriorate when the temperature drops below 54°F.

Temperatures above 80°F cause tomatoes to spoil quickly. Store tomatoes at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, away from direct sunlight until ready to use. If you want them to ripen faster, then it is okay to store them in the sunlight.  To ripen tomatoes quickly, place them in a paper bag, stem end up. Punch several holes all around the bag and fold the top over. The bag will help to keep some of the natural ethylene gas in place, which aids in the ripening process. Depending on how green they are, tomatoes may take one to five days to ripen. I am looking forward to all the BLT's and tomato sauce I am going to be making in the upcoming weeks.