Sunday, February 28, 2010

Weekend accomplishments... garden edition

Fertilize all bushes and trees (Number 1 from list)- check.

Get sharper shovel (Number 11)- check (this was actually one of my birthday presents....)

Plant Geranium in pots at kitchen door (Number 10) -check


Pink rose bush (Number 4)- check (Another birthday present- this pink rose named a touch of class)

Transplant La Iris to new location (Number 5) - check.


Saturday, February 27, 2010

My Ordinary Saturday Morning in Louisiana Visit


Saturday, February 27, 2010
9:49 A.M.
Guess who wants to go grocery shopping with me?

Visit an ordinary morning in Alberta here.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Garden Plans

Things I plan to do this weekend

Things I plan to do this month

Ways I've dreamed up to torture myself

Spring dreams

Things I plan to do when it is not 29 degrees outside


Plans:


1. Fertilize Crepe Myrtle trees, Jasmine, Oriental Magnolia tree and Gardenia (actually will do this weekend- must do this while still cold);

2. Plant Camilla bushes (again, must do this month- the sooner the better to develop adequate roots);

3. Make new bed and plant all Amaryllis bulbs in front yard at dining room window (about 15 of these plants through out the house and garage and cant do until April);

4. Make bed and plant pink rose garden in back yard by fence (must do so this month or early March... I'm running out of time.....);

5. Transplant the Louisiana Iris from around garage and big tree in back yard to new bed across yard (this was suppose to be done last month and it now may never happen);

6. Borrow the tiller;

7. Transplant random lilies in front yard to new back yard bed (in April);

8. Clean up the two Cannas beds, make a brick border and make room for the white ones my mother in law is rooting for me (must do now... as in ....NOW)

9. Make beds and plant Hydrangeas in side yard (this is just a fantasy....)

10. Plant geraniums in pots by kitchen door (another fantasy)

11. Get sharper shovel

12. Be hospitalized for exhaustion

13. Explore the clearance aisles at Wal-Mart for left over Christmas bulbs (I'm really too late for this);

14. Nurse the ailing palm tree on back porch and the two frost damaged mother in law tongues on front porch back to health; (I'm delirious if I think this will really happen)and

15. Give up. Start drinking.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

My Ordinary Saturday Morning in Louisiana Visit

My ordinary Saturday morning in Louisiana.

9:19 am

Someone is sitting in the kitchen watching me cook. Actually he is waiting for me to drop some food.

Getting dropped food is total worth putting up with the injustice of an occasional mardi gras necklace he is made to wear.

and I keep putting the coffee down and then forgetting where it is.

Visit an ordinary Saturday morning in Alberta here

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Why cant everyday be Saturday??

As Saturdays go, mine was pretty wonderful.

It started with me sleeping late, having cereal and coffee then immediately starting beef stew in the crockpot for food ministry delivery. It was such a beautiful day, cold but sunny.

I had to get dressed a little earlier than I would have liked to, the man came to start step one of the three step process of staining the island, the pantry doors and the front door. Here they are after step two had been finished. Step Three wont be done until next weekend sometime.




The smell- and trying to stay out of the way- forced all the windows open and me upstairs to do something not so glamorous but oh so necessary....and something I had been avoiding for over a month..... gather tax information for drop off at H&R Block.

When I had the kitchen to myself again, I made mini loaves of chocolate chip banana bread and packaged them for delivery and then turned my attention to my scrap booking, that I am embarrassed to say has been sitting half-finished for quite some time. I am determined to have this scrapbook finished this week. Its from my vacation. My vacation in September. I just cant seem to finish it. I blame the subject matter.

Looking at all the pictures of Oregon makes me want more than one big vacation a year. Makes me want to go back. Tomorrow. Or at least in September when our one big vacation time rolls around again.

It is unbelievably beautiful in Oregon. See?





Its my turn to pick our vacation spot this year, and I am seriously thinking about going back to Oregon. There was so many things I did not get to do! The Tillamook Cheese Factory Tour! The wine country Tour! The covered bridges Tour! The just sitting on a bench looking out at the ocean tour!

This is the other contender.

Because it was snowing on Friday morning, (something I never thought I would say....) I had a rare morning at home until 10:00a.m. Between looking out the kitchen window at the snow, I took advantage of the situation to do all the laundry, clean the kitchen, vacuum, and generally do all the routine housework, thus leaving the washer free this weekend to do the big stuff like clean the comforters and blankets.

I fought sinus problems this weekend and did not feel good, so much so that I declined an invitation from my friend to see a movie and from my husband to go out to a Pre-Valentine's dinner. I ended up taking a nap while the blankets and comforter were in the washer. I just crawled into the unmade bed without any covers and went to sleep. But I felt worse when I got up.

But I did get up to this:


Which was a huge surprise, because I had already gotten my gift earlier this week when we got this:


Yes, its a freezer in the garage.

I was going to say something witty about asking for a freezer for the garage for Valentine's Day, but the truth is I really really wanted one. So much so, I made a deal with the hubs that this year I will gladly forgo the usual big bouquet of florist delivery roses and instead apply the money to the freezer, which he happily agreed.

Then I woke up to a bouquet fixed by the hubs of grocery store roses in a "vase" (an empty flour canister) and a king cake.

I have to admit that this year, like no other year, I will be jumping for joy when Mardi Gras is over and somehow I did not slip into a sugar coma (Fat Tuesday is this Tuesday, thus the end of Mardi Gras and the beginning of Lent.)

Unfortunately for me, my next door neighbors let me in on the fact that the little grocery store close to our house has the best King Cake in the City and, although I protested, ("No! I don't really like king cake... they are so dry") she sent me home with two big pieces of it. Of course, she thought I would be sharing, but when I ate the first piece I was so impressed, I had to go eat the second piece as well, only stopping myself long enough to give the husband a small bite.

This was the beginning of the Mardi Gras season 2010 which will forever be known at my house as the season we lost our minds and ate more Carter's King Cakes than in the last ten years combined. We were so sick in love with them that we started buying them two at a time. Then, in early January, when the State Police was warning everyone to stay off the icy roads, we actually went out one night, in 19 degree weather, to get one (or two).

Thank goodness I cant get any more King Cake after Tuesday.

For some reason (the nap? The sugar? The pictures of Oregon?) I could not sleep. I ended Saturday by eating cereal and watching TV at 11:30 p.m.

How was your Saturday?

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Saturday Morning Visit




My ordinary Saturday morning in Louisiana
February 13, 2010 9:20 a.m.
New kitchen island gets stained.

Visit another ordinary Saturday morning in Alberta here.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Things I found to be thankful for on this ordinary Tuesday

My Tuesday unwrapped finds me very happy about:

Bright sunshine on a cold day

Real, homemade hamburger for lunch

Good day at work

Full tank of gas

New bed for Butch

Hanging around the garden department picking out Camilla's

Saints welcome home parade

Not dizzy all day

Electric Blanket

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Saturday Morning Visit


My ordinary Saturday morning in Louisiana.
February 6, 2010, 8:43 a.m.
Forcing bulbs on my desk

Visit another ordinary Saturday morning in Alberta here.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Wednesday finds.....


The blue goblets visit a spa (also known as a kitchen sink of hot water). One lonely coffee travel mug sneaks into the party.


Another package. This time at the front door. This one pre-ordered and brought by UPS.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

My sister in law came to visit while I was at work today . . . .

My Tuesday unwrapped ended with me finding the 12 dark blue goblets my sister in law left for me.



Why?

Because she knew it would match both sets of china. See?





And because she is happy that I take care of her baby brother.

She is a good sister in law, leaving me surprises at the back door.

What did you find this Tuesday unwrapped?