FriDAY5, post2

 The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.  ~Hanna Rion

This will be short and sweet... starting out with the sweet...

While Cap'n was diligently working to finish up the planter boxes before the soil and pea gravel arrived, I noticed he was slowing a bit... Which is a sure sign of hunger for him!  I'm not much help in the heavy moving department, but I can feed people!  So lunch was something of a pretty little event with my grubby Cap'n.  A couple tomato sandwiches with mayo/salt/pepper on some yummy multigrain whole wheat bread with a little pile o' love of fresh strawberries and dried dates... and mason jars (with lids to keep the bugs out) full of healthy ice water!

What a treat to sit and enjoy the beautiful weather and a nice little meal with my guy.  Thank You Heavenly Father for such an amazing life leader.  He is wonderful and I appreciate both You and him.  Amen.

Ohhhhhhh so absolutely crazy excited I can barely contain myself!  The soil has been going in since 3p this afternoon!!!  Rich yummy Earth smellin' dirt!  Although not all the dirt and gravel is in yet, it will be by tomorrow noonish!  Then MY FUN BEGINS!  So here it is, as of just moments ago!!!

I just can't wait to get the little picket fencing hung all around it!!!  It is gonna be so ADORABLE!  And the space between the two inner beds... yep, *just* big enough for a little bistro set to have morning coffee with my man or a little tea time with a girlfriend! 

I bid you good evening, folks!  See you in the morning light!

It's FriDAY5 of our STAYcation!

Okay, so this week has been AH-MAY-ZING!  I think I caught a glimpse of our retirement life and me likey!  However, until then, I HAVE A WONDERFUL JOB THAT I MISS!  With that said, I am still having a blast at home with The Cap'n (does that make me Tennille?) and enjoying all our tasks, projects and chores!

Yesterday I forgot to mention that he and I stopped at Panda and this is what my fortune said:

It says "YOUR LABORS WILL BEAR SWEET FRUIT"!!!  Ha!  God sent me my own personal message!!!  How stinking cool is THAT?!?! 

After that, this is just a smattering of the items I snagged at Goodwill...
(all books and sheet music, BTW, no trinkets or chotchkies so as to continue with the "'beach cottage calm', with emPHAsis on CALM" vibe we've got going here)...

Yep, 60's & 70's antique (oohhh, that smarts a bit) books that are so book musty and beautiful I could just giggle with giddy girl excitement!  (have a li'l martini and say that a couple times fast - that would be a funny youtube, wouldn't it?)

Oh. My. Word were we up late last night!  The Girl had some major homework to complete and so I went and spent a major amount of time checking out this new fangdangled PINTEREST.  I have a confession... I have to admit, I am rather smitten.  No more tearing out pages of ideas, letting them stack up and then having to stand and state, "Hi, I'm The Homemaker and I'm a magazine page hoarder."  So The Cap'n and I spent a little extra time over coffee this morning...

BUT WE (that would be the HE part of WE) are up and back at 'em again today!  Here is this morning's accomplishment... (wait for it... wait for it...)

TAH-DAH!

Yep!  Them thar's a planter box smack in the middle of le petit potager!  AND SHHH, LISTEN... That's the sound of the drill MAKING THE SECOND ONE! 

And theeennnn the soil and pea gravel will be delivered!  And THEEENNNN we will put it in the beds... AND THEEEENNNNNNN I will GET TO PLANT STUFF!  Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself... 

For now... 

HIM: build. Oooohhh, aaaahhhhh, cooooolll!

The Homemaker: laundry.  Meh.  Just not all that "glam" when said out loud, you know?

I'll keep you posted!

STAYcation: day4,post2

BUSY. BUSY. DAY.
After a whopping trip to Home Depot (I really should NOT spend "browsing time" in there... it is more costly than the mall in our home!) we ended up with the final details to finish off the Kitchen Garden tomorrow!  Before I show you a final pick from this evening, I'm just going to toy with your emotions and take you through a couple detours of the day...

One word: ERRANDS.  HolyMcGillicutty did we have errands today!  First we split up... Cap'n Jack to the ATM and I ran in to Office Depot (first time of the day) to recycle a whole bag of ink cartridges.  Then off to Home Depot where we pretty much purchased an item from every single department known to man!  After that I ran off to pick up The Girl.  Surprisingly enough, she was game to join me on the remainder of my errands list.  We went to Fresh & Easy for a gift card, Taco Bell drive thru for an after-school snack, Office Depot (second time of the day) for ink cartridges, Goodwill for a quick browse of their books (did you know they price the newer books by a percentage of the retail price on the jacket but by quantity of pages on the older books?!?!), 99cent store for a card, the post office, into Winco to re-purchase eggs (Cap'n left them in MY CAR OVERNIGHT - lovely odoriferous greeting when I opened my car today) and then over to the library to pay an overdue book fee. 

I, too, have been busy around here... I finished the bathtub window!

 

and this little sign reminds me...

Just before we left for a birthday party (hi Niecie Dollface!), THIS IS WHAT THE GARDEN LOOKS LIKE TONIGHT!

It's getting there!  The soil and pea gravel are being delivered tomorrow, too!  WOO HOO!! 

STAYcation: day4,post1

Before...

(after) GOOD MORNING STOVE! 

Okay, so I can't cook on/in it YET, but MONDAY I will!  It's gas so I don't want my extremely talented, hardworking, smart, funny and over-the-top wonderful yet occasionally accident-prone hunky hubby to hook up explosive appliances.  Just sayin'.  I LOVE YOU CAP'N JACK!

As for food until such time that we have indoor fire (I'm thinking the candles in our California "fireplace" won't work) I had originally thought my only options were nuclear, pre-packaged or restaurant... a friend pointed out my shortsightedness (is that REALLY all one word?  it looks wa-rong.) and reminded me we have the Bee-Bee-Cue!  Which prompted me to stop what I was doing, stand up, right hand over my heart and recite (yes, you must join me now in the reenactment)... I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, UNDER GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.  I was relieved to confirm that although my Bee-Bee-Cue had escaped my memory, I am indeed STILL AMERICAN!  Whew!  

As for le jardin potager (French for the kitchen garden), this is what greeted me this morning!

Do you see the precious little quail and oak leaf (maybe it's maple) door knocker???  Oooohhh it is going to be crazy cute with a little basket of flowers hanging from it!  I can barely stand the mounting anticipation of GETTING DIRT IN THERE AND PLANTING STUFF!  I currently have 3 teensy tiny marigolds, a few tomato plants (I think they are all "Big Boys") and an oregano plant.  They were all clearance at $.99 each since they were gasping for life and water at the grocery stand.  I am going to do some other stuff, too, but as my mom pointed out, we are coming to the end of planting season and I may be S.O.L. (what?  SO Outta Luck!  geez, this is a family blog people! teehee!)  Alas, I will have to refrain from rushing out to purchase the plants...  In our area, it can go from 65 to 95 degrees in the blink of an eye!  Oh alright, that's a tad exaggerated, but in all sincerity, it CAN jump 30 degrees OVER NIGHT, no joke.  I don't want a bunch of dead plants on my porch the day before I get to plant them, you know?  I will just have to breathe through my anxiety of "I want, I want, I want, I need, I need, I need!"  (yep, that was another movie quote) 

Whatever God wants planted I am certain WILL be planted!

In the meantime, I am going to take care of some errands and figure out something to gnosh for dinner tonight.  Check back later, gater!

STAYcation: day3,post2

Bird's eye view of the day...
It all started with me CRASHING A TEA PARTY!  You girls ROCK!  Even though I was late, it was so awesome to spend at least a bit of time with you!!!  I miss you guys!!!  (but i still ADORE my JOB!)

And of course there was this whole KITCHEN GARDEN project that is just amazing!!!  (more pics on that farther down this post)  In between it all, I've been checking in on my hubby and chatting with a sweet friend that looked to me for job advice (i have a little more street cred now that i'm employed again!).

Then came lunch... a light lunch.  My fav is mandarin oranges and string cheese... By the way, did you know the animal with the largest eyeball on earth is the giant squid?  So says my string cheese.  Bit of trivia there for you. 

And now... drum roll please... the current status...

  Un Petit Jardin!

ISN'T IT TURNING OUT FANTASTIC?!?!  So stinkin' excited I can hardly stand it!

I'll start fresh and early tomorrow with the status.  We have a Winco trip later tonight that MUST get done!

So, while James is off at Home Depot grabbing bolts and then swinging through Taco Bell, I bid you all g'night! 

STAYcation: day3,post1

At 10p last night, the headache subsided but the caffeine kicked in!  Cap'n Jack was still moving along with a bunch of little stuff in the house...
(warning: random movie mini quote, complete with French accent...)

"Like zeess!"  

BATHTUB GAZING WINDOW!

 

It will have seashells and the like strewn about so that it will be my own little window to gaze upon as I soak in the tub below!  

Here's the thing... as I went out into the garage with him to find something to secure the four corners of the window (a $3 find up in Paradise CA at a yard sale on my way to Paradise Scrapbook Boutique last year) when I see him rummaging and rummaging, foraging as if rooting for a tasty morsel... yet to no avail.  

Now, I come from two generations of carpenters... My grandpa was a carpenter by trade and my mom was a carpenter by genealogy (no sons, youngest of the kids, grandpa taught her everything - but in the 60's girls couldn't be in the carpenter's union... sheesh).  The one thing I learned was a place for everything and everything in its place.  Not so anymore!  I told my hubby "no self-respecting OCDer like yourself would allow such an atrocity!" and I promptly began organizing... 'til the wee hours of midnightish.  This is the current state of affairs where I will continue and finish this afternoon...

Please note the overflowing recycle bucket in the bottom right corner.  Those are all boxes that were housing maybe a couple dozen random nails or screws each... Yep, way to utilize precious storage space, honey!  ;)

Just before leaving to pick up our girl from school (by the way, she was BEAMING with pride as she showed me the ONLY 100% on the chapter test in History!) I checked in and what do my wondering eyes should appear?  A miniature gate and a couple of fence posts all in a row!

Come on back and visit in a bit... I am CERTAIN there will be more and more AND MORE to show you!

STAYcation: day2,post2

wicked headache this way comes...

I am posting this as a tantalizing tidbit just before I go apply pressure to my ready-to-splode head... the beautiful beach weather is playing havoc on my Idahoan-sized/shaped sinuses.

PROGRESS!

And while the concrete is setting for the first phase of PROGRESS! here is a little perk-me-up...

Off I go, to lay me down... stoopid sinuses...