5 thing Friday - a butterfly, garage light, side table, lunching, journaling

**I don't have it in me to reflect on Sept. 11th on this blog**

  

The butterfly that the tattooist came up with - and no, I didn't add anything else.

She's very pretty - but we did not discuss the amount of shading she was going to do!  I broke rule #1 which is make sure you agree on every. stinkin'. detail in advance. Its very pretty - don't get me wrong.  But she is still healing so I will show her in the future.

It was a four hour appointment, and this lady was very tired at the end of it!  I grabbed a few groceries, ate a very simple dinner, drank some wine, and was in bed before 9 p.m. Its amazing to me how quickly I get worn out in my old age.

A friend gave me a referral to an electrician to come install my garage light, so he came by yesterday and I can cross that off the list of things to fix.

Its nice to have light out here without having to open one of the doors. Not cheap, FYI.

He is also going to remove the broken ceiling fans from two bedrooms and replace with a standard light fixture - I just need to go buy those.  He said he wouldn't charge me the service fee when he returns as it only took him about 20 minutes to install the garage light. Sweet!  I have never liked the light from these fans and the bulbs are pricey.

The additional small table arrived and I had it put together in about 10 minutes. I just shopped my house for things to set on it for now.  For Christmas, the fiddle leaf fig will go live in the office and the Christmas tree will be set up in here.

My kids seem to "accidentally" leave things at my house*.  Since The Girl needed her quilt, I fixed her a birthday lunch  of mixed greens salad with apple vinaigrette, spicy pumpkin samosas, butternut soup, and this cake:

Its that viral cake mix where the guy tells you to throw the box away and add an extra egg, a stick of butter, extra vanilla, and milk. It bakes at a lower temperature, then you frost with a warmed up tub of chocolate icing.  This is The Girl's favorite cake combo!

She will be 35 tomorrow - how is that possible?

I have been journaling a LOT lately.  Its as though the mental dam broke and I have a lot to process.  I have found some great prompts on the internet - not all about grief.  Some colored pens help me stay engaged with it. I'm hoping I can destroy all of my journals someday, as the emotions in them are pretty frank.  But just in case? There is a disclaimer inside that says "these are my private thoughts and not meant for anyone else to read!".  

Everyone was warned, ha ha.

Gina

*I have a theory about that, but as I have said before, I am not a storage unit!

Drainage plan - will it work?

 I wouldn't even call it a project, but I have purchased a few things to help move rain drainage away from the house - in the event that we get any rain.  My mulch in the front gets washed sideways and down the driveway whenever it rains hard.  I sure am tired of sweeping it back into the beds.

For the downspout near the front steps, I added an adjustable extension to help the water flow a little more naturally towards the shrubs instead of soaking the foundation.  I also bought the self-tapping screws and new downspout bands to hold the ones on the side of the house in place.  Very minor fix-its, but still*.

For this empty-ish area of flower bed (to which I will add another shrub next spring), I had to devise something to let the water flow and not take the mulch with it. (that poor olive tree is suffering)

I bought some foam tubular pipe insulation (think pool noodle) and used some extra screen material I had along with some cable ties to rig up a sort of drain.

I pushed it against the house so it is less noticeable.  Hopefully the screen will keep the tubing from getting clogged.  Will it work?  I will find out!

You can't see either of these things from the driveway or sidewalk.  Left to do? Maybe spruce up the mulched areas, run the sprinkler on a regular basis (duh, Gina), and powerwash the walkway. I would also love to tackle the rust stains on the driveway near the garage doors.

But none of that is happening this week as I am giving myself something of a small break from the heat and doing mostly indoor projects.  What about you?

Have a good week!

Gina

*every small thing I learn or project I undertake only adds to my confidence!

5 thing Friday - CDs, sprinkler system, enchiladas, side table, tattoo

 This has been a spendy week. But not on frivolous things, in my humble opinion!

  I pulled all of the CDs out of the CD carousel and went through them twice.  I pulled the ones out I thought I might listen to again, maybe 20 or so.  The rest? I will have to figure out how to get rid of them. They can't go into the trash or recycling, but perhaps I can donate them.  Same as the cassettes, and I have yet to purge those. I would try to sell the CDs to Half Price Books, but they have no plastic holders. I will investigate.  In the meantime, I am actually listening to some of them!

I was going to have the fence guy replace a couple of sprinkler heads and cap some off, but a leaky one told me there was a bigger problem afoot, and I was right.  It involved replacing a valve so I just had the sprinkler company do the whole thing. They also fixed some pop-ups and re-set the timer for me.  Now to make a plan for working on the front lawn.  Money, marbles, and chalk as Mark would say.

I had a yen for mole enchiladas, so I made some!  I bought the jarred sauce, reconstituted it with chicken broth and some extra seasonings (froze a lot of the sauce for future me), then stewed some chicken thighs in some of the sauce. Then I shredded the chicken, rolled it up in chicken in corn tortillas, topped with extra sauce and cheese, and baked for about 25 minutes.  With a side of green beans and refrieds it was OMG delicious.

I think this room is where the Christmas tree will live this year.  There's plenty of room in front of the windows without a table full of photo project spread out!  So, I ordered another of those $31 side tables from Target for the right side of the couch.  I think the lit tree will brighten up the space a bit, too.

Easy to assemble and very sturdy!  So we can all sit in here (whoever comes by that day) and we will have a place to set our cups of cocoa or coffee.  I also ordered a wood and metal coat rack for the hall leading into the den.  It coordinates with this simple style.  I will show that when I have it installed.

Next item on the list: installing a new light fixture in the garage and I have someone to do that, we just have to arrange a time.  After that, I will contact someone about getting the garage door motors rebalanced so I can use them properly.  Currently I have to stand there and press the button the entire time so that they close. And no, there's nothing blocking the laser light so that's annoying.

Its always gonna be something.

BUT...

Something for me. We can call it birthday gift, something to mark (no pun intended) an anniversary, or just a recommitment to myself gift.  These are some inspiration pictures from my tattoo artist, who is very talented.

Either way, its not something for the house! Next week it will be added to my existing tattoo along with some smaller blooms, just below the chrysanthemum.  When its all finished, I will show a photo of it.  For me, butterflies represent the nature of change and hope.

Fitting, I think!  Have a great weekend,

Gina

Little project: the stereo cabinet

Last year I opened up this stereo cabinet and decided I would work on it.  Then I got nervous about the wires behind the components and the cabinet itself.  What a tangled mess!  In the back of my head, I could hear Mark getting very angry about me messing with it.  All I purged was the turntable, then I lost my nerve and closed it back up.

I guess I just wasn't ready to actually dismantle the whole system.  But he's never coming back to use this stuff, right?  And no, the kids do not want it.

Fast forward to Friday, when it was too hot to do anything outside.  I decided to finally remove all of the outdated electronics from this area.  I carefully pushed the cabinet away from the wall.  Unplugged everything from the TWO outlet strips, then went to town cutting wires and freeing things. 

Many electrical cords and wires were snaked down the wall from the attic, then attached to various things.  I cut all of them off short enough to stick back into the wall, and I will put a blank over it.  I'm not climbing around in that attic hunting for wires. The cable plug will also get a blank. And the wall will probably get a fresh coat of paint.

A whole lotta cabinet for not a lot of items. (it used to house a TV, too)

I had flashbacks to when I got rid of ham radio equipment. Not gonna lie, some tears were shed.

Off to the side of the record player I could set something to hold a few LPs. And I will go through those 72 cassette tapes and make decisions (most will go), as well as the 200 plus CDs. (I still have to pull them out of the carousel in the CD player)  All of the child-safe locks came off - why did we still have those on there? This cabinet will hold games and puzzles, and whatever else I need to store here.  Some day, I will just let the whole thing go. Maybe get something smaller.

But for now it fits right here.  Keeping this room from looking empty, I guess.  Between this project and the photo project, I am on emotional overload.  Goodbye, August!

Gina

5 thing Friday - kimchi fries, dead lawn, pop-ups project, empty fridge, pecan tree

I've been eating most of my meals at home, but I do take myself to a new-to-me place now and again for lunch.

There is a tiny restaurant near me that makes kimchi fries with bulgogi that I enjoyed yesterday. Looks like it is family owned and the lady working there with her daughter were very friendly.  Customer service goes a long way with me, so I will go back and try some other things.

Most people's lawns in my neighborhood look similar to mine - struggling. The heat here is terrible - temps over 100 every day and no rain. I don't even know what I am watering.

For some reason, the backyard is doing much better.  Both of them could benefit from the sprinkler system being back on line.

So today I need to get out there and begin the process by marking all of the pop-ups with flags.  I also want to rig a sort of flow thru for a spot near the front door that floods when it rains. (which seems ironic) 

Have you ever done a deep clean on your fridge, tossing out things that you know you won't get to and ruthlessly culling through the condiments, then stand back and think "well, I have nothing to eat"?  I mean I do have Coke Zero, eggs, and bread, so there's that.  Today I need to visit Ye Olde grocery store and prep meals for work.

The pecan tree that the neighbor and I share got a big chop. It needed it, and now my oak tree will not have to fight so hard to get some sun back here. This pecan tree was planted by a squirrel, right on the fence line, many years ago, from some pecans my mother sent home with us to shell.

It produces many nuts, which the squirrels love to eat under my table.  I think they were doing the same to the neighbor, so he screened in his patio.  I would be cleaning this every. single. day. so I'm just not stressing it.  There's no one here but me anyway.  And now I'm off to buy food! Have a great Friday!

Gina

What the week holds and a bucket list re-cap

Well, I ended last week feeling just a bit tired (which is an understatement) because Saturday morning felt a little rough.  So, at work I sat with my planner and decided that this week will be easier!  I am close to finishing out my summer bucket list with just a couple of small items.  And the big things that didn't get done will slide to the fall list.. 

And that will likely include:

*paint office furniture

*make a plan for replacing the carpet

*clean the gutters

I will admit, it was an ambitious list for summer - other side projects kept popping up, throwing me off track. But I do feel proud of myself for getting some projects done, some books read, some naps taken, and some dinners cooked. (can you believe it?)  And we are almost at the end of August!

What does your week look like?

Gina

5 thing Friday - fence, flowers, muffins, small tasks, photo album project DONE

When the tree trimmers left, I noticed that the entire length that included the gate was barely hanging on to the post.  I thought it was post rot because its so moist back here.  Now that the canopy is higher on these trees, it can dry out a bit.

But. It was termites.

 

My favorite fence guy came to replace the post.  And this was what it looked like on Thursday morning.  Fence fixed, just needs a clean up.

I straightened out those edging bricks and the red rocks, then I power washed all of it.  I will probably seal it like I did the deck. I bought some red rocks to fill in, and will treat for carpenter ants and termites.  Never a dull moment.

While Charlie was here he replaced a random picket. Ha. (the whole fence should be power washed but I'm not gonna) Then he told me that he also repairs sprinkler systems - WHAT!  So next week I will survey all of my pop-ups and he can cap them or replace the heads and help me program the watering.

A late afternoon (dark) photo of my weekly small bouquet for the kitchen.  For $3, it is a visual reminder to show myself love. This can come in many forms: taking a long nap, eating lunch out, laying on my couch with a book, sitting on my deck with my morning coffee...all because someone loves me - ME.

While I waited for Charlie to finish the post, I made some banana muffins with mini chocolate chips for my breakfasts.  This is mainly why I don't buy bananas. Probably I should just buy fewer.  I froze most of them and will pack them in my work breakfasts.

after

A quick-ish project: clean your A/C coils and remove leaf debris from around the unit. I guess its been 2 years since I have. The hardest part was holding the fan up with one arm, doing everything else with the other. I ended up getting a bruise on my arm from I-don't-remember, and a burn on the inner upper arm.  Plus, yes, I should have done this project earlier in the day.

before

But its done now.  Off the list. Always - turn off the A/C, turn the HVAC breaker off, unplug the unit, lift the grate being mindful of not damaging the fan blades, clean out leaf debris from the unit's pan, spray both inside and outside of unit fins with the "shower" setting of your outdoor hose. This time I also used a Simple Green spray cleaner I found in the garage and I let it sit for about 5 minutes.

Making my yard 1% better when I can - cleaning out under the crepe myrtle.  I demolished a bunch of overgrown tradescantia (Wandering Jew).  I sprayed the rest of a bottle of weed killer back there, too.  After the pop-up back there is fixed, I will add some sod, so close-up views to come.  Another 1% item - I distributed a bag of mulch under the trees and such out here.

That photo album project is underwhelmingly over and 10-12 photo albums have been condensed to a little less than a full 5 and are in their new forever home.  Its going to feel so great not to see this on my to do list!

Have a good weekend,

Gina