The work on the house is done....at least I ought to say the work we paid to have done is done. The work I have to do is still there, lol. Funny how that didn't get done...Truth is I did work in the yard last week. I put out twelve bags of mulch, repotted some plants, cleaned up the yard about the house.
Now that the work around the house is done it's time to get busy on my porches. I'll share a whole post about the work done outside of the house this past week, with pictures so you can see for yourself how nice it all looks. You'll see what still needs to be done, too!
Looking over the list I made at the beginning of last week I see that I did little upon it! Seriously I was busy all week long so how come so little got done? I think not feeling well took a harder toll on my week than I'd realized. What I did get done: I bought mulch and laid it out about the sweetgum and persimmon in the back yard. I need to get landscape blocks to call that area about the trees done. I also laid mulch about the gingko bed and the rosemary and touched up the spots in the rose bed. Looking back, I realize I put out 12 bags of mulch this past week.
I didn't buy plants. I'm finding plants are pricey this year and that is everywhere I've looked. I'm going to make up my mind first what I hope to find and go shopping with a list then adjust for budget from there. And I think I'll concentrate more on perennials than annuals.
I did get the floors mopped.
For menus: I made up the chicken fruit salad but skipped eating any of it as I felt quite unwell on the day it was served. On a whim, I turned the yellow rice and black beans into a fried rice dish, and John was over the moon. He kept telling me how good it was and how a co-worker had brought in fried rice for his supper the evening before and how it made him crave the dish. So glad I gave into the whim! I made a thrown together casserole from Laine's recipes but made substitutions of things I had on hand: turkey pieces from the freezer instead of chicken, celery soup instead of mushroom. It really wasn't as good as it usually is and I'm thinking that had as much to do with substitutions as that my ingredients were just not at the prime mark of freshness. It served as food and that's about all I can say for it.
From my readings this weekend:
Rhonda Hetzel did a couple of posts on Housework last week that I thought were masterful pieces of writing. I love this quote from her Making Your Home post:
" It might sound like I'm a slave to my home but it turned out to be the opposite - all the time and energy I put into my home has been returned to me in contentment and a kind of deep satisfaction that I've never felt before. "
That statement resonates deep within my soul.
from another blogger, can't remember who, but she shared this quote: Roald Dahl wrote, “Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” A thought provoking article on Marie Kondo's "Spark Joy" method of decluttering included this quote: "... it’s not about asking, “Does this spark joy?” but rather, “How can I reclaim the joy?”
Work:
I have about a dozen or so concrete blocks that were left from our steps. We paid for them and I'm keeping them. I want to use them to start a flower bed on the side of my shed. It will be the only new bed I've created this year and I'm ready to add to my yard rather than just re-do what's existing.
Start cleaning those porches now that the work about the house is done. The front porch not only needs cleaning but I have to paint the new floor boards, so I might as well plan to paint it all...And then I'm going to get busy decorating. The front porch is like a whole new space with a load more room. I've decided to move the chairs off and the patio table and chairs on to the porch. First I have to paint that set...It's all going to look quite different! I don't expect to get finished with the space this week but I'm going to do all I can to move it along.
I'm going to have to redo that corner bed. Maddie made a right mess of it first and then the work on the foundation necessitated moving dirt around and then the handyman filled in Maddie's hole in that corner with sand and now Rufus and Maddie both have dug it out again. River took out a portion of the lattice work on the back porch which prompted John to decide that it too needed to be refinished in keeping with the rest of the house foundation. So a good bit of un-doing of that corner bed has taken place. I've also realized that some of what I thought were daylily were instead Spider wort, which I do like in extreme moderation but this is ridiculous. So lots of work wanting done in that area all over again. I wish I'd never wasted the two bags of mulch I spread there at the beginning of this yard work season.
The little herb bed by the back door is begging for color. The herbs are doing well, the little tomato plant is hanging in there. But the galvanized junky look just isn't cutting it by itself for eye appeal. I've got an old iron bed I'm going to use to add some color interest and I'll put a flower hanging basket on the plant hook there this week. It might be my only purchase of potted flowers just now but I simply have to put some color in that spot. It's deadly dull at the moment.
I'd also like to get the accent pillow made for my bedroom.
And in addition to those things: keep Isaac and probably Josh for one day. Please say a prayer for Bess' mom and dad. Both are ill at the moment. Bess' mom is having a procedure on Wednesday, so please focus on her for that time.
Grocery shopping but this one will be a little more intense in that I am going back to a lower budget spending and must truly figure out what I'll spend on each category and where I'll choose to stock up. This week's made slightly more challenging because I have already spent a portion of my grocery budget. I'm thinking 10% for meat and 10% for pantry replenishment and being darn sure I get enough produce/dairy to last two full weeks. I don't have room for random shopping trips in this new budget.
Bills, banking, errands.
Planning my calendar for May. I have yet to take up my calendar and plan which days I'll visit with Mama, when we'll be making our trips, etc. Time to get it all planned out and reservations made.
Zone:
It's a new month for zone work. I'll start in my living room/dining room/front entry/hallway. I need to clean the fans (ceiling and oscillating). Dusting is certainly in order for the furniture, too. And vacuuming the edges of the room and under the furnishings I can move. Also vacuum upholstery and drapes.
I'd like to move accessories about and shake up the look of the rooms a little. I'm looking for a bit more color and I think I can manage that simply by moving some things around and possibly bringing in a couple of items from the shed, etc. It's definitely going to be a no money refreshing.
I need to repot the Staghorn fern, the marantha plant and a pot of Ivy, both of which have grown like crazy over the past three months. I bought a small fern last week to use in the living room and I'm not sure it too couldn't use a larger pot.
Menus:
on my own x2
Meatloaf, Mashed potatoes, Green Beans, Coleslaw
Pizza, Salad
Open face Broiled Meatloaf Sandwich, Coleslaw, Chips
Roasted Chicken breasts, Asparagus, Salad
Quite possibly a leftovers day and if there are no leftovers I'd like to do a Mac and cheese.
Gratitudes and Smiles:
We got to spend some unexpected time with Isaac this past week. It was a pleasant way to while away a couple of hours.
Sam came to check on me the other night when he heard the men talking and other 'odd' noises coming from our direction. It was awfully sweet of him. I don't often feel nervous about being here but now and then I do feel rather isolated even though they are just across a field from me. Then he urged me to come ride over the land in the truck so I could see what he'd done and what he's planning to do. He's been working hard outdoors clearing property and it all looks so pretty.
Katie stopped by to visit on Friday afternoon. She stayed with us a few hours. She laughed often which is always a pleasure to hear.
The men who worked on our home were personable and professional and nice as could be. They did a grand job on the house and it's looking very nice indeed. They were also extremely neat about their work areas and cleaned up very well behind themselves.
The feeling we had Friday evening when all the work was done and we realized we'd made a lasting investment in the livability of our home.
5 comments:
Terri, About the hole in the corner flower bed ... would it work to put some kind of tub, perhaps galvanized, in the hole and fill it with herbs, plants, or some such thing? That might keep the dogs from digging and it could add interest to the flower bed. Just a thought!
Chris...What a great idea! I'll have to look into doing that.
Don't forget Terri you also Went to get, shopped for, lugged those heavy mulch bags into the cart, out of the cart and into your car, our of the car and the long way to the place they need d to be used at your home. THAT alone took a lot of time and energy. LET ALONE moving the bags one at a time and opening them and spreading them all around. If you just got this extra work done this past week I would say you did Quite A Lot of Work !!! :-)) You Worked Hard And Long! :-) Sarah {now I will go on to read what I am sure will be a fun read of the rest of this new post! :) }
Terri you always inspire me to get up and work again on my own home. I think when I was smallI would hear my mother would get a quick call or visit from women neighbors throughout the day and it did the same thing for her. You get a quick break and a bit of a cheering up and new inspirations and you are ready to go again ! Although perhaps we come here from all across the country [and maybe world] this may be the closest thing we now a days get to a chat with lady friends. Isn't it wonderful we can do this? :) Sarah
I agree with the comment about all the mulch work...that’s hard work Terri and an accomplishment for sure! I agree that flowers are quite pricey and I have trimmed back my long wish list. I wanted to spend less on the annuals that I fill my pots with this year so I found a garden center that had pink impatiens on sale, 52 plants for $17. I thought that was pretty good and the monochromatic look actually has a restful vibe to it with all the colors that will come up in my yard pretty soon. Perennials are just pricey, but they do come up every year, if the arctic blasts don’t get them, or the deer or bunnies!
Thank you so much for linking to Rhonda’s homemaking post. I really enjoyed it.
The weather here has been quite depressing! We had a full day of snow falling 9 days ago, then a day of melting with sun, and then it’s been cold and rainy for all but two days since. One day was lovely, warm and the sun was shining. My husband and I worked through those two nice days to get a lot of lawn and garden work done. We got some of the garden planted and our peas are coming up! I planted some foxgloves along the side of my porch. I think they are so old fashioned. We got the porch furniture out and decorated for the season. I even planted all the impatiens in their pots, but will have to watch for frost warnings. Of course I have ideas for a new flower bed or two, but I really need to work on my existing beds this year. Your garden work has inspired me! To get out there every day and do a bit of work...it all adds up at the end of the week, doesn’t it?
I prayed for Bess’ parents today, particularly her mother. I hope all is well.
I do enjoy these visits too, as Sarah commented. It helps with the loneliness I feel for female “homemaker” companionship! Have a lovely evening!
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