The not so pretty home projects or maintenance.


Those things have to be in a timely matter or can get out of hand. We don't want to be like some old people, that just haven't kept up their home maintenance and then have to sell due to a family death and get practically nothing for their house. I have a good friend whose husband was a packrat - and he didn't like spending money on the house. He died in March of 2019 and Margie is still trying to get her home, clean and everything fixed. Plus she just turned 80. Bless her heart. 

The husband mowed both the front and back yards - We need either to sod or reseed our lawns. Probably won't happen this year. We had 2 garden boxes in the middle of the yard - and had planned to put rocks around it - and have a smaller lawn area. Then we decided we didn't like that and pulled out the boxes and now have 2 dirt plots in the middle of the lawn - they look like freshly dug graves. Boo!



The husband will be replacing a 3 section part of our fence on the side yard that we share with a neighbor. Our neighbor refuses to pitch in and told my husband that it was "his problem." He doesn't care how it looks on his side so what do you do? 

We have a dog that could get out and he's patched it but it's time to replace the fence. It's not worth fighting and arguing over.  Other than being downright cheap, they are good neighbors. The husband wants to put up a chain-link fence. I asked him if this was his version of "Love thy Neighbor." I know he wants to do that for spite. He later came back and said he wouldn't. 



We went in with our neighbors on a fence a few years back. That section my husband has to replace is because the neighbor insisted it wasn't that bad - funny, the next winter, is when it came down. The patched section of the fence, we had to do, because their 2 dogs like to chew the bottom of the wood fence. I do wish my husband had taken more care in mending the fence. I think he was mad and just threw some boards up there. It bugs me. 

Of course never any offer by them to help fix where their dogs destroyed the new fence. Aww, neighbors - you gotta love them. 




After the fence, he also wants to add an extension to his work shed so he can build things, have more room, and have an open area with a roof so he can work in the hot summer and keep his tools protected. Last year, he broke his toe which grounded him in a big boot he had to wear for several months. It was a bad break for him and our "projects." We have a lot of catch-ups we need to do this year. 




This is a "have to" this year. The paint is peeling on the hot, south side of the covered patio - the wood needs to be replaced and repainted. 

Provided he doesn't break anything this year, these should be fairly easy to knock out. 

I have my own projects I need to do -  I'm the painter of the family. 






Spring 2021




The weather has been consistently warm for the last 2 weeks - so I've decided it's time for me to clean out my closet and put away 90% of my colder weather clothes for my summer stuff. It's April though - this isn't it. So I always plan some outfits that will be useful for when it turns. 




My yard is blooming - without me even doing anything to it. My Iriss' are blooming and we had white ones this year and some yellow ones are coming in, that I did not plant. 

I guess I could start my veggie garden - in years past when I have, the weather has changed and practically flooded out my tomatoes. We have a long dry growing season - I usually have tomatoes clear into and after Thanksgiving. 



We bought a patio orange tree. It will be fun to watch it grow and produce. 




More poppies this year on our hill. 





Planted the Queen Anne palm on the hill and this date palm container, we just moved it up onto the hill where the irrigation is better when we have our hot dry summer. 


This is the best time here; before the hot dry winds and smoke from fires. Sadly, it doesn't last that long. 







Little annoying repairs


The not so pretty part of having a home is when something wears out and needs replacing. A dumb piece of hardware, we're trying to find it and so far, non of the big box stores have it.

I'm talking about my silverware drawer - the metal track on the inside (bottom mount) is broken and it's difficult to pull out and close the drawer and it is a heavily used drawer at that. It gets knocked off its track due to the roller thingy, that is broken. This house was built in 1992 - not that old but still hard to find. When you go into Cabinet Stores, they don't want to sell you a $2.50 track - NOPE, they want to sell you completely new kitchen cabinets. I think I found where I can order it online but the husband is such a know-it-all at times and believes he can get it at some store. We'll see.



I want to wallpaper the inside of my cabinets - I know I know, kinda crazy. Especially since I don't have glass doors - so I'd only see it when I open the cabinet door. 


Well, I need to get my drawer fixed first...not to mention everything else I want to do. 




The "green" around my house




So what's going on at your house? 
Do you go all out and decorate - complete with lights and all? 





The "green" is all around in nature - 
My dusty millers are such a pretty soft green. 






Looks like I have white Iris popping up that I never knew I had. 
Last year I had the rootbeer-colored ones.
 I wonder how many new ones I have? 





This was my mother's bell. 
She used to collect bells from all over. 
I donated most of them but this one I really liked. 





Although not an Irish teacup - this was my sister's. 
She bought it in Spain. 





These shamrocks or Oxalis were given to us about 6 years ago from my 
Father-in-law. My cat started munching on them, so my husband just planted them in our front yard and they have flourished ever since. 

They are especially meaningful this year as we lost him in Dec 2020. He was 94. 

Happy St Patrick's Day

Overwhelmed



Seems I couldn't be a minimalist even if I tried. The last few years I have been ruthless in getting rid of things. NOW I received stuff that belonged to my sister (she died in 2015)  and with her only child now deceased (she died in 2020) I was the next to receive all of these things. Going through them has been heartbreaking but I tried to tackle it with a stiff upper lip. 



I'm keeping this beautiful display bookcase she got in Mexico. I love Mexican pine furniture! 

Very California. I was cleaning out my china cabinet - this is not how it will stay. I haven't decided yet what I will put in there. 

The three teapots on the upper shelf and the Willow Tree couple, I gave to my daughter-in-love. 



Very cute but I don't have grandkids and honestly, I don't have any place to put it. So it went to Sara, who collects teapots. I did keep one teapot she bought when she was in London. That was a keeper. 



Front and back




I don't know if people actually use these teapots. I'm practical. 



Or if they are just for display. 



The cute couple - my son and his wife just celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary. So this was a given. 





That's Ed on the bed for their guest room


There also was a bed - that was an antique back in the mid-'60s when I turned it down and my sister got it. That was a big mistake on my part but I was going through my little "hippie" BoHo stage. IT used to have 2 dressers but I guess through the years they were tossed. Also came with 2 antique mirrors that my DIL doesn't want. 

I have knickknacks that belonged to my mom, my grandma, and her mother. Photos, old letters, just stuff. Needless to say, I am terribly overwhelmed. 



Susie, Snow and Daffodils

 


Susie, amazed at that white stuff she rarely gets to see.

This is what we woke up to last week. We only got 5 inches here but Shasta Dam was snowed in with snow still on the ground, Saturday when we drove up there - 11 miles away! 

My daffodils broke off from the weight of the heavy wet snow. Oh well, there's always next year. 






Oh Happy Day - Craft room clean and reorganize


Not my Craft Room



Not my Craft room, but pretty darn close. 


Today, I am attacking my craft room - the husband has been using it to "pile" his things in there, and it's a total disaster. I admit, once he started, I did too. You can hardly walk in it. 

The husband finished installing the new sink and faucet in our bathroom. Looks good. Now he's going to replace the pipe underneath - it had a less than desirable odor. 

The weather is sunny and beautiful - 



Spring is coming

 


Early signs of Spring are starting in my yard. This morning in my front yard, I have daffodils starting to pop up. 







I have little shoots just beginning to show themselves in my planter boxes. 

My tomato plant never died out - and there are still some green tomatoes - but they are not very tasty. The texture is off. But my husband will still eat them. He's like Mikey. He'll eat anything. 



Nasturtium WATCH











Spring Cleaning is coming early to my house






I guess I needed to post something on here - even though I haven't done any major decorating or planting. Spring Cleaning is what I have on my mind right now - especially since I have received boxes of stuff from my 29 yr old niece that passed away on Nov 18. Then my FIL passed away on Dec 13 and we just received all his stuff; most of which we either donated or gave to family members. If that is not enough stuff, I will be finally receiving my sister's stuff (she died in 2015) that my brother-in-law was saving for my niece, and now that she died, it's all mine. I'm trying to hold him off till February since we have a memorial we are trying to be scheduled soon for my FIL. 

Oy Vey!

Our office is a mess. Our garage is a mess and that is even with getting rid of most of it. It is overwhelming. 

So yeah, Spring Cleaning is going to get started a lot earlier than the Spring around here. Heck, I want to enjoy the spring, by planting and enjoying the outdoors - not CLEAN!

How about you? When do you do your spring cleaning? Or major seasonal cleaning? 

December 9 is National Puff Pastry Day





 I bet you didn't know that today is National Puff Pastry Day. I kid you not. I happen to love puff pastry - love the light flaky layers of goodness. I probably won't be making any puff pastry delights but if I was I'd make:

Strawberry Chocolate Puff Pastry 
Prep Time 10 mins 
Cook Time 15 mins 
Servings: 24 Pieces 
Calories: 242kcal Ingredients 

  • 1 17.3 oz package puff pastry 
  • 1 ½ cups chocolate hazelnut spread 
  • ½ cup sweetened condensed milk 
  • 1 Tbsp powdered sugar 
  • 2 cups strawberries 

  • Instructions Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 12 equal squares. Grease muffin tin and place each piece of pastry into one cavity. Spread 1 tablespoon of chocolate hazelnut spread onto each. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk over the chocolate spread. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Remove from muffin tin and dust with powdered sugar. Top with fresh California strawberries and enjoy! 

California Strawberry Chocolate Puff Pastry 

  • Nutrition Serving: 1 Pastry | Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 68mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin C: 7mg

Leaves, leaves and more leaves


This counts for Christmas decorating, doesn't it? 

I've not yet decorated except for the tree but I have been baking and making up some old family recipes and meals that bring me comfort. I'm missing my mom's country-fried pork chops so I made some the other night, with some mashed potatoes and homemade pan gravy. It was so good. Not something I should eat all the time though. I also made a peach cobbler from canned peaches. I was craving it so I made it. It was so good. 




Right now my energetic husband is blowing the leaves in the yards and then will mulch them. It's a never-ending job until the leaves have all fallen and ours have just started. He wants to put up our nativity, so he is getting the yard ready. 




I think I mentioned he finished the patio.  I am pleased it is done.