Reflections on a project gone (pretty much) according to plan...

By pretty much according to plan I mean to say there were a number of unanticipated disasters. And, we pretty much specialize in unanticipated disasters here around 726...

Fun Blast-From-the-Past:

The kitchen when we bought the house. 

The kitchen after the remodel. 

I was chatting with Mr. Perfect on the phone today, relaying the part about the story where I stood in the center of a room 3/4 of the way done and cried about not being good enough, and he asked: Why didn't you just wait for help? I think, this is why...

When we bought the house...And, we still bought the house.

What the trim, etc. has looked like pretty much since then. 

I'm pretty much all about learning. I tell my students all the time: The human brain learns by doing. You've got to jump in head first, get your hands dirty, be unabashedly afraid to make mistakes (now, the tears were largely about wishing that the mistakes I had made weren't permanent fixtures in my home, but whatever). I looked at this project and figured there was only one way I was going to learn...By giving it a try. By cutting a few pieces of trim wrong and by calling in my right-hand-woman to fill in some thick caulk lines. And, when I really got myself into a closet door pickle, by calling first my dad and then our friend Woody for a rescue. 

It isn't 100% finished. There is touch-up painting happening as I type. There are curtain rods that need a toggle-bolt hanging. I need to figure out how to get the new door. I must learn how to rewire those ugly ceiling lights. Pillows must be sewn. Beds must be made. But, Kumquat reports she's been reading away this rainy Sunday in the new library nook.

And, it feels kind of nice, at the end of it all, despite all the imperfections, to be the kind of girl that builds window-sils and installs moulding and then goes and gets a manicure afterwards. Who is imperfect. Who doesn't know what she's doing 3/4 of the time. But, who also isn't afraid to try. That's something, isn't it?

It was Jelly-Bean who looked at this corner and said:
"This will be perfect for your books." 

To be sure, putting away books was one of the first jobs. 

Trim and moulding and a new arrangement. Hooray!

I Heart Lyla

Our friend Lyla came to play for a few extra days. She's at the best age. This is not really my story to tell, (and, yes...It makes me a little weird to write about other people's children, still)...but I'm going to write it because it's been making us smile and laugh when things around us are not all smiles and laughter...

She was at the park with her mom and dad the other day playing on the swings when her dad asked: "Do you want an underdog." She replied, "No, I want a Gilleon." Hilarious! See what I mean? The funniest age.

She's so helpful, so I asked her..."Lyla, will you please go put this fabric in the craft room for me?" She wanders down the hallway: "Is this the CRAP room?" "Yes, Lyla, that's the craft room." (Though I gotta say, crap room is a much better descriptor...).

We plopped that baby right into the bath tub after a trip to the beach where she got covered in Flash-Slobber. I suggested some plastic cups and Kumquat delivered a black measuring cup and an orange plastic drinking glass. I  posed the question: Which cup do you think has a greater volume, the orange or the black? Let's fill them to capacity to find out! Kylene laughed at me about this...But, that smart baby-girl figured out the orange one did. Who says bath time can't be math-time?

She also laughed at me the next day when I suggested we segment some phonemes while playing with alphabet cards. Lyla was having fun. And, when Jamie and Woody go to the kindergarten conference and the teacher announces: "Lyla has a very well-developed sense of phonemic awareness," who will be laughing then?

Since we all spent the night at M & T's Lyla thought it would be nice to return the favor:"Tell Matt and Tom next time they can come to my house and sleep in my bed with my Hello Kitty blanket!"

I love that baby, who is not a baby anymore, but such a smart, big girl with her eyes open to all that is happening in the world and a heart already big enough to embrace it all:

Lyla: "Remember when I was crying the other day?"

Me: "No, sweetheart, why were you crying?"

Lyla: "Remember, I was crying in the car because I missed my Nana. She is in the hoSpidal."

Me: "I bet she misses you, too."

From Paint to Popsicle:

I don't know much, but I am fairly certain that every successful house project at 726 begins here:

The rest of the story goes something like this:

If you let Jenna order a new duvet cover for her bed, she's going to want a clean white ceiling to go with it.

After you let her paint the ceiling, she'll ask if she can finish off the top of the room with a round of crown-moulding.

Once the crown is up, she'll look downward and want to add trim around the windows and doors. Inspired by the clean trim, she'll want to paint the closet doors.

With the closet doors drying in the yard, there's no reason not to get a new door to match the other doors in the house.

She'll be distracted temporarily by playing with her favorite three year old, by agreeing to house/dog sit for some very handsome men and by a trip to visit her mother. Plus, she'll want to turn some garden beds and plant some onions and some brassicas. 

She'll be thankful she has such a nice and helpful friend who is especially talented at painting and caulking baseboards, because once all the other trim is white, surely that will have to be white as well. 

Once all the painting is done, she'll decide she needs a few window-sils to go with the trim. 

So, maybe the next time Jenna says: "I think I need a new duvet cover" you'll think twice about saying yes...You might just tell her to go have a popsicle instead.

Friday Snow-Showers bring Saturday Sunshine?

Most of the pictures from today's efforts are a bit lack-luster. Today was a lot about making wide open spaces. At first there's nothing too exciting about the colorless images. But, the colorless images mean things can be planted. And, with little things popping up everywhere, it won't be long now. I found myself remarking about how much I appreciate lettuce. Lettuce is the first thing in the garden ready to grow and eat. With the bed turned and composed and starts under the light, salad from yard will be ours in no time....

Yard art is back!
These fun solar cattails from Mama-Pajama
and Neal make their debut.

Pulling the weeds today felt satisfying in a way that not much has in a while. The last month has really had me feeling like I'm spinning my wheels. And, for a number of reasons that just don't belong on the internet, I've just been feeling "done". "Done" with whatever's in front of me. "Done" with making an effort. "Done" with breathing air. Yes, it sounds dramatic and silly. But, that's exactly how I've felt. Done.

Pulling the weeds meant there was something I could control. With a little effort came a clean space of dirt where just minutes before their had been a dandelion take over. Small victories. Everything a beginning. And, everything a reminder of how fast things change. How seedlings, strong roots below the surface, grow to baby plants stretching out to space allowed. Time. Dedication. Patience. Luck. Some unpredictable combination yields predictable results. Worry less. Dig more. Yesterday there was snow, today skies filled with sun. Find space for what will come. Life, in time, will find a way. 

Violet, Not Martha (I'm afraid...)

I've been avoiding fixing the gutter-into-the-rain-barrel for the better part of the last six months. I was thinking that I needed to buy a new gutter piece and also a strap so I just didn't. Today I looked at it and decided it could be done with a hand saw and a drill, all the pieces re-purposed. It worked out well enough (it's done, isn't it) but it doesn't look all that pretty. This was decidedly a Violet move. Martha would not approve...

Honestly, I imagine Martha wouldn't approve of last year's remodel on the potting shed either. Check out how messy it is! The pots don't match and there's a dirty worm bin and buckets of potting soil and the like. The gloves are on clothes pins that are strung on a piece of twine. No, this is not a potting shed that would meet with Martha's approval. But, it's super functional and I like transplanting my little seeds in the warmth. I started the last of the tomatoes and peppers today. The seedling station is taking over the dining room! 

In other news:

1.  I decided to open my drip irrigation kit. It wasn't as tricky as it sounded at first to put together, but I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to be the most efficient drip water-er possible. It seems like the system (while joyfully simplistic) may miss some plants, no matter how it's organized...I really need to turn it on for 30 minutes and test it out. But, for now...I can say I got started.

2. I pulled these carrots. They wintered over. Nice.

3. I installed the bee station. 

4. There will be garlic.

5. And, blueberries...

6. And, raspberries...

Hooray for spring! And, picnics in the park with friends. And, bubbles. And, gratitude that is bountiful.

Only in Seattle?

Do people in other cities have days like today?..Days where the sky is mysteriously (what's that color) blue (?) instead of gray?...Days where the temperatures rise and you realize how the endless gloominess of winter around here has been putting you in a funk?..Days where you feel like spring might come again?...Days where you are able to feel a little more like yourself (or at least the self you like to be)? They must. Right? Well...Today was that day in Seattle for me. So...

Today's home and garden blog roll includes...

1. Waking up and finishing the last piece necessary for my application to my master's program. Hooray!

2. Regular Sunday chores (coupon clipping, laundry, oatmeal, grocery store, 2 weeks of clothes, clean sheets).

3. Finishing the construction of the bee-house-stand (seen in it's unfinished form). Kumquat painted it and I really think the new colony is going to L-O-V-E! My plan is to bury it about half a foot down into the ground for stability and then attach some mini l-brackets to keep it in place....

I

4. There was also fire. There was also torching. Die moldy spores! Die!

5. I got a new notEbook. I can't remember the last time I filled one before the end of school year. Information had to be copied. But, it's so clean and tidy.

6. Transplanting many a tiny brassica. The flowers have to move out of the grow light area to make room for the veg! Hello, baby broccoli! I'm waiting for you baby cauliflower!

7. Beginning some demo work in the picnic shelter. Taking down the "ugly", one might wonder what took so long?! I know, you're thinking it doesn't look like much now. But, I'm telling you, if I'm good at anything it's seeing possibility. That's all I see. Just stand by for the transformation!

7. Beginning phase four of a birthday gift for our favorite soon to be three year old! I wish I could take responsibility for the fabric choices. But, I must credit KMQ and Jamie #1 for that. Still, I'll take a smidge of credit for how pretty it's turning out...

8. Making this galette for dinner. Jelly-bean and I were hanging out at Mr. Perfect's a few weekends ago and he was flipping channels when I saw BRIDGET! I love Bridget. Mr. Perfect wanted to watch his movie, but did record ATK for us to watch after. They made this tart. However, when I went to find the recipe online I was blocked because I don't have a subscription. But, can you believe it? For some reason K.____ happened to buy the magazine with the recipe in it, just the other day. She sent it to me. And, ta da! Dinner.

8:00 and the whole family is sitting down to rest. I'm going to call it a successful-sunny-sunday!

There was sun..

So, I trimmed the raspberry canes.

And, started the first round of tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower and celery. We'll see about the celery. It's Kylene's new desired veg.

It was nice to see blue sky!