Lakewood Garage Sale

I've been looking forward to the second big garage sale of the season.  I planned an early start, but woke up to pouring rain.  We ventured across the street at 9:00.  It was cold and raining all morning.  It was still fun, but we didn't want to buy any lemonade.  Terry bought a laser printer with a new ink cartridge included for 10 dollars.  It's better than the one we're using, and half the size.  It will work better in my new loft/office plans.  My best deal was a hanging plate shelf unit.  They wanted $10, but took $5.  I'm going to paint it and hang it on the patio with plants, and pictures, and stuff.

Impromptu Get-together

Nan and Andrea were stopping by at Mom and Dad's, so I dropped in too for a visit.  Tess also dropped in.  She was golfing with her mom, but gave out after 9 holes.  Before long Dad was taking all of us to lunch at the Green Chile.  Andrea stayed until her kids were getting home from school.  Nan and I kept visiting and laughing until about 6:30.  I have the best family!  Only Millie the cat was inhospitable.  I love her too though. 

Grandkid Adventures

Pastry Perfection Cookies

New old toys

    

   We needed to borrow an edger from Stacey and Mike, so we decided to borrow a couple grandkids for the day too.  We picked up the Huds and Hads, along with the edger at about 10:00.  We had errands to run and they came along.  First stop was Pastry Perfection.  Terry wanted a pie from there for our extended FHE on Sunday.  I said they didn't make pie, and he thought they were closed on Saturday.  We had to check it out.  We were both wrong.  The kids scored orange frosted sugar cookie.  Second stop, The Assistance League Thrift Store.  This wasn't on our list, but it next door and we all wanted to check it out.  Huds came out of "the old toy store" with a view master that he recognized from Toy Story, and Hadley found a motorized ball with a furry weasel looking thing attached that will chase her around.  Our third stop was at the Natural Grocery.  I needed corn thins, but we came out with a box of healthy stuff.  Fourth stop was Lowes.  We got bags of rocks and stepping stones.  The kids got to ride all over on the big cart.  Finally we made it back to our house.

A load of rocks and two kids along for the ride

Chores

     We were all hungry.  Huds had pickles,

Play

tator tots, and sunflower seeds for lunch.  A lot of them.  Hads liked my corn thins.  She had those for lunch, along with sunflower seeds, cheese, and apples.  After lunch we got busy on yard work.  Terry had to edge.  Huds and Hads did a lot of digging and sweeping.  After our chores were done, we carried on with our adventures with a bike ride.  This was the first of the season and we went too far.  The kids had a great time at the playground and throwing rocks in the river at Barber Park.  When we got back, everyone was ready for a Blue Cow yogurt with candy on top, so even though it was just before dinner, we went for it!  We returned the edger and kids at about six.  We went to bed early that night.

Appetizer before dinner

       

Naked Yard

Our neighbor's houses with big trees

Our naked yard

We had to take our great big tree out of the front yard.  Then we had to take a lot of grass out of our front yard so that we could grind up all the roots.  Now we have people stopping in the street to ask us what we're doing.  I have a vision for our naked yard, but I need Terry to get on board.  He keeps saying he needs a picture or a plan.  I just have to jump in.  So I started, and dragged Terry, his muscle, and his wallet into this project with me.

So far I've cleared a LOT of weeds from the sides of the house.  I made a path that leads to a back window box of herbs.  I tried a couple things from Pinterest - vinegar to kill weeds, and wet newspapers instead of black lining buried under the path.  It's covered with mulch from our tree that's now gone, and lined with rocks that I dug up.  We've made a couple trips to Lowes for rock and stepping stones.  I've planted as much as I can in phase one.  Terry's now taken measurements and is ready to get lumber for the fence and garden box.  I'm hoping we can accomplish phase two next week.  When the weather warms up, I want to be out on the patio with Nedee.  I'll read and crochet.  Nedee will watch from the shed roof.

Side yard path with new hosta plant

First Relaxing Lunch of Summer

Today I met friends at 36th Street Bistro for lunch.  I want to buy everything in the little nursery at the front.  I want to eat everything on the menu.  We caught up on all our news, summer plans, and reality TV during a long and relaxing lunch.  Afterwards, a couple of us wandered through Edwards Nursery, down the road.  I found about $25 worth of perennials and a lot of garden ideas.  We were talking about what a great place that would be to work at, part-time, after retirement, and when we were paying, the two women helping us were retired Boise school teachers.  It could happen!

Big Plans, Maybe Too Big

I have so many things that I want to do this summer, but the biggest thing is to relax and enjoy.  If I'm relaxing too much, I won't be able to accomplish too many big plans.  We'll just have to see how this goes.  I'm going to make the most of each day... or at least half the day.  There are so many things scrambling around in my head, I've decided to jot a list down here, then check back at the end of summer vacation.  I don't think I can accomplish too many top 10 lists, but it sounds so much better than top 5, so here they are:

• Loose 10 pounds (twice would be nice).

• Sew 10 items, mostly clothes for me, but this is problematic because I want the clothes to fit me when I've lost the weight.

• Complete 10 home projects, including:

1. Make a bed skirt
2. Tie a quilt.
3.  Enlarge photos and frame for the bedroom.
4. Get new bedspread
5. Touch-up the paint in Ty's room
6. Shampoo carpets
7. Get containers and organize the pantry
8. Clear out the loft and redesign it

• Complete 10 yard projects, including:

1. Pathways on each side of the house
2. Little fence in front (help Terry and paint)
3. Little rock wall and plantings in front
4. Paint furniture on porch and get a rug
5. Add rocks and stepping stones in back
6. Garden box (help Terry, maybe paint, plant)
7. Add wall and yard art
8. Paint furniture and fence in back 

• Complete 10 projects for school, including:

1. Renew my teaching certificate!
2. Go through and organize files
3. Go through and purge cupboards
4. Go through and organize student library
5. Figure out a Canada unit (that's interesting)
6. Meet with the teachers on my team
7. Figure out the grammar component I'll be teaching

• Read 10 books (might be finishing books and/or audio books) including:

1. The Well and the Mine (Book Club)
2. The Princess Academy (Book Club)
3. The Thirteenth Tale (Book Club, *most excited!)
4. The Importance of Being Earnest (Book Club, May's selection that I missed)
5. Girls Like Us (Carly Simon, Carol King, Joni Mitchell, *excited!)
6. The River Between Us
7. Rhett Butler's People   (finish)
8. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

• How much can one person do?  10 more miscellaneous projects, including:

1. Start blogging again! (They can't be long like this or I'll never be able to keep it up.)
2. Learn the 1940 census and start indexing again.  (I should do at least 10 batches.)
3. Figure out some family history stuff so I can help my friend with her Irish ancestors.
4. Figure out my i-pod again, especially how to get audio books on from the library.  (I haven't used it for 3 years.)
5. Figure out how to borrow Kindle books from the library.
6. Figure out how my students can access research materials from the library online.
7. Crochet Isaac's baby blanket
8. Crochet a throw for Tanner
9. Crochet baby booties (3 pairs)
10. 
    

• Complete 10 Pinterest projects (This could overlap with the above projects!)

• Try 10 Pinterest  recipes (problematic again with the weight loss)

I also have to fit in 5 days with Ty, a week in Big Sky and Education Week in Rexburg, a few days in Ketchum, a trip to the Twin Falls temple, a trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake, time with grandkids, First Thursday events, farmers markets, yard sales, a few movies, and relaxing lunches with friends and family.  Wow!  This will be interesting.

Best Start to Summer

Yesterday was the last day of school and instead of ending with a celebration, or even a quiet dinner with Terry, I ended with a headache.  I went to bed with 3 Advil and a cool washcloth over my eyes.  But today...is the first day of summer and everything is great.  We were up early for the yard sales in Harris Ranch, Surprise Valley, and East Meadow Park.  I love garage/yard sales!  What a great way to start the summer.  We found a bike for Brent, a crib for Isaac, and I got a belt, a new little fry pan, and two sweaters that I'm going to make into hats.  (It's a Pinterest project.)

In the afternoon I went to Ava's baptism where she wore a beautiful white dress.  ( I need to get back in the habit of taking my camera with me.)  We went to a barbecue after, and I got to visit momentarily with Fredee, Phil, Barb, Marisa, Sean, Carolyn and Ashley.  The Adams family arrives in town 30 minutes before the baptism, and they all left right after dessert - except Ashley who had a flight out the next day.  Maybe we'll get in more talk time this summer.  It did make for a great start to summer - yard sales, family, and good food.