THIS IS MY 200th POST, but not to worry. I’m not going to make you read through a list of 200 Things I Like About Me (anyway, I couldn’t possibly come up with that many).

The second milestone: On Friday, I reached 100,000 page views since starting this blog last December, a neat average of 500 per post. I don’t have that many close personal friends and relatives, so the number is gratifying.

To celebrate, I’ve decided to “spread the link love,” as we bloggers say (yes, I know: yucky expression — even worse than ’shout-out’) by highlighting a few of the blogs that have been meaningful to me as a neophyte blogger, and I’ll tell you why.

• Brownstoner. This is the vital source of info for anyone with a day-to-day interest in Brooklyn, from real estate to restaurants. If you’ve ever wondered what’s going into that empty lot on the corner, Brownstoner will tell you. It’s updated frequently throughout the day, Monday through Friday, and has an active (OK, aggressive) commenting culture. Jonathan “Mr. B” Butler has been super-generous with links to my Brooklyn-related blog posts, helping me grow a reader base, some of which apparently stuck even after I moved out to East Hampton in May.

• Louise Crawford of Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn, another stalwart in the Brooklyn blog world, came up with the name “Brownstone Voyeur” for a series of posts in which we poked our heads into the homes of tasteful neighbors. I provided the content, she provided the exposure. We did 17 Brownstone Voyeur postings last winter and spring, and they’re among the most-visited in my archives (love that phrase, ‘my archives’).

• Alecia Stevens is a fellow field editor for shelter magazines. She was the first to tell me, over lunch sometime last year, that blogging is not that difficult. Without her encouragement, casaCARA might not exist. Alecia divides her time between Minneapolis and New York City; her own longstanding blog, Musings from an Interior World, is beautifully designed and thoughtfully written.

• Joanne Wilson, aka Gotham Gal, whom I know through my sister and nephew, is a foodie and woman about Manhattan, with a keen interest in new music, theatre, books, and culture in general. Her very successful personal blog can be compelling reading (especially when the family goes to Paris). She offers great recipes and handy restaurant reviews, but most inspiring and astounding to me, she has been at it since 2003.

• Julia, somewhere in Ohio, has a popular blog called Hooked on Houses. I’m grateful for her Friday ‘blog parties,’ through which I’ve discovered the blogs of other house-minded individuals the world over, and picked up some new readers. I warn you that once you start clicking the links on Julia’s blog — and then the links on those other blogs, and so on and so forth — you may never get away.

• A Way to Garden is, hands down, THE most useful garden blog going. In just over a year, Margaret Roach, a former editor at Martha Stewart Living, has put together an extraordinarily active, informative, easy-to-navigate blog complete with discussion forums, Q&As, timely garden tips, great photos, and amusing, intelligent commentary. She’s based in New York’s Hudson Valley but has a devoted national readership. She’s generous with both gardening and blogging advice.

That’s just a smattering. My blogroll needs expanding, and I vow to grow it by the time I hit 300.

So did everyone get a chance to watch Martha yesterday??
Not only was is it the start of her new season, yesterday she featured blogging; a few of them that we know and love I might add.
First up there was an intro to Deb at Smitten Kitchen, then a great segment with fellow food photographer and blogger Matt Armendiaz from Matt Bites. Matt was lucky enough to get a book writing suggestion from Martha herself all while mixing it up with her and the Kitchen Aid.

How wonderful to see a full hour devoted to the beauty of the blog. I’m guessing Martha is into hers, as it’s not only updated regularly, but she was dying to know everyone’s monthly stats and income draw. It was darling. Really.

Anyhow, what was really great was getting to see Martha and her old pal, Margaret, who’s site A Way To Garden, I’m already addicted to. Margaret used to be the garden the then the editorial director at MSL, so she knows a thing or two about gardening. Not only is Margaret’s site a naturally good read, she’s offered personal tips and suggestions on how to plant corn and why it is that mine is the only garden that doesn’t produce copious amounts of zucchini. (I finally did get ONE, by the way!!) A Way to Garden, along with Deb and the gals at Dinner Tonight have been hosting some weekly round ups of seasonal veggie dishes and today is one of my absolute favourites; pumpkin.

If you’ve ever read my other blog, Food+Photography, you’d see the facination, lust I have over pumpkins. Every fall I buy too many and try to squeeze the space in my yard to grow some of my own every year.
That being said, I have three plants from the seeds of last year; Marina Di Choggia, a Rouge Vif D’Etamps and my favourite Galeux d’Eysine. So far, I’ve been enjoying their flowers along with the bees, but I think I’ll be heading back to the pumpkin patch in a couple of weekends – at least something grew…

To join into the fun, here are a few of my pumpkin favourites from this site:

MARINA DI CHIOGGIA GNOCCHI

PUMPKIN PIE POPPERS

PUMPKIN & MUSHROOM RISOTTO

PUMPKIN MANICOTTI

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY TEACAKES

SAVORY PUMPKIN TART

A Way to Garden, a beautifully designed new WordPress powered blog has launched.

Focused on American gardens, it’s written by Margaret Roach who was previously garden editor at Newsday and most recently at Martha Stewart Living, first as its garden editor and then as editorial director for the company.

The new blog and Margaret’s story was covered in the New York Times recently.

[ Visit A Way to Garden ]

Inspired by the poised and polished women of the world (yes Martha, I’m talking about you) I am sincerely motivated to cultivate my gardening skills.

Some women have natural talents while others (like me) have to try very hard for it to appear as though we have natural talents.  Thankfully there are experts like Margaret Roach.  Her blog, A Way to Garden is a wealth of knowledge with vibrant pictures that help beginner and expert gardeners alike.  My favourite tip shares the importance of edging a flower bed.  I feel confident in both understanding this concept and being able to maintain this best-practice moving forward – well, as soon as my beds are created.

Below is my personal planter that resides on my front step.  I am quite proud of this for many reasons, mainly because all the plants and flowers that I personally planted are still alive and well.  The high branches provide a modern touch, while the ivy will spread adding a traditional flare.

I’m a gal who wants to garden so let’s hope my efforts continue to show promise.  I guess some aspects of being polished can be harder than others.

Apple Tree Covered in Snow

Wheelbarrow full of Vegetables

Cherry Tomatoes

Table with Tulips

Sugar Peas

Lettuce – Margret Roach’s Back

Red Tulips with Rhubarb

Hubbard Squash with Red Jacket

Holding the Watering Bucket

Hands with Indian Corn

Dried Wild Grasses

Gardeners Hands

Tulips on a Table

Final Flowers

A Way To Garden

Fairy Walk

Culp Garden

Carrots in the Garden

Buddha on the Walk

Making Bread