too much to do list

when i started this blog my intention was a place to keep track of my "can't wait to do" & "look what i did" lists not necessarily my "have to do" & "glad that's over" lists. but currently my calendar is over flowing with deadlines & scheduled must do's. while i dream about my future garden, i hurry up and make preparations for easter dinner guests &  work events. but i have been able to squeeze in a little fun here and there.

i went to couple of estate sales last weekend and found some nice no-plastic kitchen items i had been wanting to replace from some time.

one of the best places to find non-plastic substitutes for everyday item is "grandma's" kitchen.

although the ice cube trays seem to be missing a part and don't work right.

in other news, there are radish sprouts! and ONE pea sprout! hurray for one, booooo for the other 2 dozen. what is up?! inside i do have a few bell peppers, dill, carrots, coriander, and a couple of flowers spouting.

ok, back to housework...

even more stuff done

awesome thrift store find

the weather was amazing today, which allowed me to get a bunch of stuff done in the yard today. but first, there was the trip out to Fred's Unique Furniture. all i can say is wow. the place was giant & packed!  although i didn't find the 60's style console stereo with turntable i was hoping to, i did not come home empty handed.



back at home i put up my hanging baskets/window box thingys that i bought off of craig's list back in november. and finally planted my hawthorn tree (free from craigslist or freecycle, can't remember since it's been about 3 years, poor tree!!)

craig's list find

cleaned the winter clutter off of the breezeway sorting out the plastic containers to give away or recycle, as i try to reduce as much plastic as possible.

freecycle find

still to do:

• get rabbit poop. i found where the wild rabbits are pooping and plan to harvest it up for some free fertilizer. a small payback for all the damage they've done.
• fix rain barrel/get new rain barrels. i was super bummed to to find that my rain barrel has a giant crack in the bottom because, like a dummy, i left it out over winter to get frozen. hoping i can patch it up with some epoxy. i will also be on the look out for more in the mean time.
• fix porch steps. this very harsh winter we had, with lots of freezing and salting, has left our steps with their own pot-holes. cement patch? will need to do some investigating...

getting stuff done

done: i mixed 1 part vermiculite, 1 part worm compost, & 1 part fresh compost from under the arbor vitae (see last post) to form a seed starting mix. on sunday i planted a small variety of veggies & flowers. by this morning (6 days later) already germinating were dill, carrot, sunflowers and forget-me-nots. (sorry about the sad pic)





done: cleared some of the gobs of leaves away from the front flower bed to discover more plants coming up including lily of the valley, hosta, & allium.

done: trying to repel the rabbits from all these newly uncovered greens by spreading around some hot chili peppers that didn't get picked last year. we'll see. i have pretty tenacious rabbits.


done: cancelled cable. after much discussion we area actually very excited about not having the distraction on cable TV. we will still be able to get our video entertainment from streaming internet, dvd's, etc.
going shopping tomorrow to find a stereo to fill the empty wall where we will remove the big hunk of plastic we used to be chained to. the goal is to renovated the living room before easter when family comes over. next up: eco-friendly paint samples.

a little cooking then out in the yard

done:
after months of trial and error this is the best basic recipe for chewy granola bars i found. my recipe mods are:  1/3 c sugar, 1/4 c honey, 1/4 c peanut butter, no salt, 2 T butter + 2 T mashed banana, various combinations of fruit and nuts. this weeks combo: pistachio cranberry granola bars, with soy nuts.

done:
 bought some vermiculite and today will start my indoor seeds. i will use some worm compost as well as some naturally made compost courtesy of a 50 year old arbor vitae.

despite this unseasonably cold spring, there are signs of life in the yard.

 tulips soon!

forsythia soon!

daffodils soon!

future azaleas

future pain in the ass.

today's list:

• charge camera battery
• invest in some new rabbit repellent
• clear leaves out of front flower bed
• paint living room wall (before easter)
• cancel cable (monday)
• not get sick