Still Here...

Still breathing...

On a dead run, though.  Wisest Sister is visiting, and there were many, many things to do before she arrived.

The neighborhood garage sale happens a couple of days after she leaves, so all had to be at least sorted and sort of staged for that.

The craft room had to be - had to! be- in top notch order for her inspection, too.

We spread a lot of mulch in the yard.  A lot!  About 64 square ft.  But that is done, too, and the iris are blooming.  Pictures are coming.

Now that Wisest Sister is here, we have had the kids over, and spent time with the grandbebe girls.

And tomorrow?  We are heading to Nebraska!  Nebraska?  Why Nebraska?

Nebraska is where Brown Sheep Company lives, and we are going to visit.  If they are home, we are going to see Scott's Bluff National Monument.

And enjoy each other's company.

Catch-All Catch Up

It's been a crazy few weeks at work, and for me that means on my feet much of the time in the lab.  With lots of thinking. When I get home, I am usually past that.  The thinking part, and therefore, no snap, no wit, and no insight.

So no blog posts of late.

Wonderful Guy and I rode 22 1/2 miles on the anniversary day.  Most of it pre-wind.  Part of the ride took us to our local public gardens.  I haven't even downloaded the photos.

The wind has since blown 3 of the last 4 days.  My three bloooming tall beardeds are holding their own.  Again, one might ask...where are the photos?  To which I would reply...that requires energy, motivation, and initiative.

There is a neighborhood garage sale approaching, and I am trying to make progress to that end.  It is easy to move things to the garage.  The organization/pricing/staging once there....not so much.  But I won't think about that today... 'I'll think about that tomorrow'.

Wisest Sister is coming for a visit this weekend and we are anxiously anticipating time spent with her.

Best Dog Ever has been exhibiting escapist tendencies, then returning home, her time away unnoticed.  We knew nothing of this, until neighbors ratted her out. We fixed what we thought was her route of freedom on Saturday.  But Sunday, when we ran into same neighbors, they said Best Dog (most-of-the-time) had been down the block, visiting again.  Wha??? Further investigation was called for and further remedy was made.

I have a brand spanking new studio/craft/me-space, and have not felt the creative mojo.  At all.  I spin, because so little thinking is required.

Grandbebe Bean's quilt sits in the corner and taunts me, saying, 'She will drive here one day looking for it, at the rate you are moving on it...then what will you say to her?  hmmmm?' I am committing myself to making one night a week 'quilting night' to make some progress on the quilting.

I do have all the plants purchased so far in the ground, or in patio pots, so progress there.  The yard is looking really fine, and I have been pleased to have had a couple of evenings where spending a bit of time under the pergola has been very pleasant.  I have never been in one home as long as I have been here.  This is the eighth spring here, and my yard has taken on a personality of it's own.  Sort of maturing, with certain things readily seeding out and spreading, and a survival of the fittest type thing going on.  It works, and I like it.  I like it alot.

Well, thanks for checking back when there were no updates.  Perhaps life will be a bit lighter going forward!

7 Years Ago...

...Wonderful Guy and I married each other.

Can't believe it's been that long.

Second chances really are possible.

Thanks, Perry, for asking me to marry you, and for being my best friend.

It just keeps getting better.

TGIF

I woke early early early Thursday morning, stretched, rolled over, and before going back to sleep, thought, I am soooo glad it's Friday.

Only it wasn't.  It was Thursday.  It's was a very long week, work-wise.  Very busy. Very wearing and tiring. I am really too old for that much effort.  (Unless it's effort that I choose to put forth.  Like for my new crafty, creative studio space....I liked putting forth that effort....)

And on the home front, there have been a few details with the 'new room' that have occupied me and a meeting of which I was 'in charge'. I don't like being in charge so much. (Unless it is being in charge of something I like...like picking where we might go for ice cream.  I would like to be in charge of that, for instance...)

All this, coming off a weekend where I had put forth a mighty effort already.

So I am glad it's le weekend!  And there will be no moving of furniture this weekend, of that one can be sure.

The weather is cooperating, and there will be outdoor adventures.  Already, the Mother's Day plants are in the ground.  There will be fresh tomatoes again this year.

And yesterday, these opened up.  The first tall beardeds of the season.

Silverado

Ruth Raymond Blue

And a group of Wide Blue Eyes in full bloom...just because.

The week did have it's high-lights.

Where Have I Been?

I have been rilly rilly bizzy.  As the proverbial bee.  As a bee that is another year older even.

I shall start at the beginning.

I have thinking for a while about my upstairs bedrooms.  Both have been rooms essentially maintained for guests, with one doubling as my 'craft site'.

It has been cumbersome, however, both for me walking around all the bedroom furniture to get to the sewing machine and the shelves upon which I keep my 'things' and to the closet where I keep my other 'things'.  It has also been a nuisance for our guests to have to put up with my stuff when they have all their stuff spread out from here to yon.

So much with the stuff!

So, like I said, I have been thinking for a while.  The brainstorming proceeded to planning (yes, I drew out a sketch), and from the planning, I started filling in Wonderful Guy about what I was considering.  I move in stages that way...slowly, but steadily.

My thought processes coalesced this past weekend and the planets aligned and I started.  Friday night I knocked down the bed in the first bedroom.  Saturday, shelves went up.  Sunday afternoon, we hacked together my knock off craft table. And all the while, I was packing and unpacking and moving and moving out and making decisions....and oh I don't even know if I can decide one more thing....just toss it all!

Not really. I am joking.

As of now, all the furniture from Bedroom #1 is in Bedroom #2 (where the craft supplies use to live).  Bedroom #2 is ready and waiting for guests.  And all the craft supplies in this entire house is now in My. Craft. Room. (formerly known as Bedroom #1)

I lied.  Molly, the Marvelous Matchless still lives in the TV room, and my knitting book shelf is still down stairs.  There is still a corner with 'my stuff'...but it's a teensier tinier corner now!

So, yeah.  Busy, because there was lots of toting back and forth and moving this and that, and taking this to the garage for the sale, and OMG! that was so heavy!!!  And late late nights.  And trips to the ginourmous box stores with measurements and trying to figure out the directions and The Thinking! even after all The Planning and The Knowing what we wanted. And the moving of stuff back and forth and forth and back.  Because!  Everything from one room went into the other.

But I have a really Wonderful Guy.  He listens really well, and offers suggestions, and listens some more, and is kindly patient with my creative pursuits.

And he is really, really good at putting up shelves.

Behold.  Le Studio d'Iron!

The crafty table?  Of a height that will be good for cutting out fabric.  While I won't be able to walk all the way around it, it is 3x5.  Cleared off and with a cutting top, it will be very adequate.

Still to be done...I think the antique Goody's prints will go.  I am not sure what will replace them.  Maybe my own photos?!

Shelves all new!  Tubs all new!

2 new shelves in the closet, too!  And in the cabinet there?  The Singing Singer sleeps....

Close up of my knock off crafty table.  So not $500....not even close!

So yeah.  Happy Birthday to me!  I celebrated that little milestone yesterday, by dusting off the bike and kicking off the biking season.  I cranked out my 15 mile commute (round trip). Not bad for a 55 year old.  I won't tell you how long it took me to get home...