5 thing Friday - biscuits, hanging trick, coat rack/shelf, yardwork, Bertram

 I had a hankerin' for a biscuit, so I bought some frozen jumbo sized ones.

I've been putting them in the oven, along with some link sausage, then splitting them when they're done and adding cheese and maybe a scrambled egg.  Not shown is some low sugar raspberry jam on the side and in no way is this healthy but boy, is it good.

Ok, so I ordered a shelf with hooks from Home Depot for the empty wall.  And the directions for assembly were simple, if not time-consuming.

I have a trick for centering things on the wall.  I use painter's tape and a Sharpie to mark where the hangers or holes are:

Like so.  Then I place the the tape on the wall where I want the item to go, using my yardstick and level to be sure the holes are centered and the item will hang straight.  Then I make a pilot hole, pull the tape off the wall, push in a wall anchor (if needed), and hang the item up.  Easy peasey.

For now the top shelf holds just simple decor.

And my tote and purse have a place to live.  I might hang art on the wall above the shelf, too.  But today is mowing day! Plus, I need to wash a month of dust and bird poop off my car.

The sprinkler going off without having to think about it is lovely.  The backyard smells cool and fresh on Thursday mornings and it looks like the grass has started growing again.  On Tuesday I sat out here and watched a rather large and beautiful skunk make its way down along the fence line into the neighbor's yard.  I sat there frozen in place, coffee cup in hand, ha ha.

After my pedicure yesterday I made my usual jaunt down the sidewalk to the Bertram Library thrift store.  Remember these coin operated horses?  There was one outside of every grocery store in the 60's.  We used to beg to ride the horse!  I wonder if this is for sale?

Then I went to the gift shop on the other end of the building and looked at everything.  Just bopping around shopping for nothing in particular can be very therapeutic.  This place is scented beautifully, too.

No trip to Bertram is complete for me without sipping wine and enjoying the peace and quiet out in what feels like the middle of nowhere.  I love it.

Happy weekend - September is slipping by!

Gina

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 - 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

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

What the week holds and its still full-on Summer

Other than the crepe myrtle and the fig tree, nothing much is blooming in my yards. We need a really good rain! Since its the hottest time of the year here, fall seems very far away. 

Its going to be 5 days off in a row for me, which will feel like a mini vacay so what's on the agenda?

*water and mow the backyard

*get the back gate repaired

*go to book club on Tuesday

*learn a new CE compliance tracking system via Zoom

*power wash the back patio

*re-set the sprinkler system

*clean outside of back house windows (super easy)

*rest, read, relax

I mean, its nice to get things done - it feels very satisfying. I have a tough time just doing nothing. But I also maybe want to go see a movie, eat a lunch out, read a new book, sew something.

What does your week look like?

Gina

Little project: landscape lighting

 I was finally able to deal with this pile of parts to my solar landscape lights.  I had taken them apart and cleaned with some sudsy Simple Green cleaner, then let them air dry on a towel in the garage.  Then I ordered batteries so each one would have the same bright light.  Then they sat in here for a couple of weeks!

When I pulled them up from the landscaping, my little voice said "don't forget the stakes", but I got lazy.  You need needle nose pliers to get those suckers out of the dirt.  This week, I was happy to find all of them, and even a couple from a previous set - still embedded in the landscaping.

I cleaned those up a bit, too, just so I didn't make a mess in my garage.

I gathered everything together to get each one assembled and ready.  I bought some black Gorilla tape for reinforcement, as well.

 A few of the posts have split over the last three years or so.  Probably from me moving them so much, trying to get the spacing right.  Also the Texas heat!

Split or not, I wrapped both ends of all of the posts.  I used the edge of the tape to act as a sort of gauge for the height of each light when I was putting them back outside.  Worked great.

Its hard to see them during the day, but at night, they are lovely.  And all of them have nice bright lights now that the batteries have been replaced and the clear plastic cups cleaned.

The next day I mowed and edged, and the yard doesn't look as sad as it did in the winter.  I still have more weeds than grass, but everything is green.  I also sprayed deer spray on all of the shrubs.  I'm not running a deer buffet over here.

The lights in the backyard work the same way, they are just heavier.  I only have two of them at either end of the deck, and getting them cleaned up was super easy.  They are so pretty at night.  Now all that's left to do is power wash the concrete slab and clean and reseal the deck, and those are on my bucket list for summer.  Once the weather gets too hot, I plan on relaxing out here more than working on projects!

Gina

5 thing Friday - Rusa, landscape lights, reading, unfinished projects, eating in

One of the ladies I work with brought me a Rusa on Monday. 

Holy cow was it good.  It's made with fresh orange and lime juice, chamoy sauce, Tajin, fresh fruit, and citrus soda, topped with a chamoy straw.  A little sweet, a little spicy, very refreshing!  I need to buy the ingredients so I can make these at home this summer - they are delightful!

This week has been all about starting, then stopping, on projects.  Exhibit A are the pieces to the landscape lights.  I washed the spiders and dried mud off and removed the batteries to reorder fresh ones.  The bottom part to the stakes are still sunk in the landscaping.  Part two is to dig those out and reposition the lights.  I will also need to use black Gorilla duct tape to reinforce the pole part of the stakes.  

Also.  You would think the rainy days mean I was getting ahead on the photo album project, but you would be mistaken.  However, I did give it at least three hours this week, and I am currently on album 3 of hopefully only 4.   Its a very slow process involving editing, trimming, and tears.

I have reading to catch up on for book clubs. Which wouldn't be hard but I got a couple of chapters through the top book (When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky) and realized it was meh.  Still, I want to finish it so I can contribute to the discussion.  The next two books are for the clubs that meet at a brewery.  I finished 4 books in April - a lot for me.

(friend me on Goodreads if you are a reader!)

And lastly, sewing - I need to hem one of the new tops I bought recently since it's too long and needs a couple of darts added - otherwise I love the color, print, and fabric. I probably should have ordered a smaller size.  Oh well. Hopefully I can get to that today.

But not before I do some random cross stitiching.

Yesterday I was going to take myself out for breakfast, then I realized I had everything at home to make migas with green chile salsa, homemade refried beans, sausages, and skillet potatoes.  It kept me full until lunch and cost me zero dollars of eat out monies, not to mention time I can spend on leisure activities.

And it was delish.

Happy weekend!

Gina

5 thing Friday - onions, Happy Meal, shopping, tiny wall project, plants

Years ago, my mother would pile up sliced onions into the crockpot with butter and let them go on low all day.  She would eat them cold out of the jar, or put them on everything.  And I did it a few times, too, then forgot about it.

But, Lo and behold, this blogger did it one better by adding three types of onion and seasonings and I was all in anew.  I made a batch last week and I am almost done using them up in quesadillas, on burgers, added to dinner, scrambled eggs...its been a delicious reminder to keep buying onions.

I like McDonald's, okay?  Don't come at me.

I treated myself to a Grinch adult Happy Meal and got the red socks.  Yes, I will be wearing them to work.  And I noticed several nurses sporting them at work last weekend.  So its a THING.

It was time for new flannel PJ pants since Old Navy had them at 60% off.  (I realize they mark them up just to put them on sale.)  Literally every retailer does the same thing.  But it made me happy to have such vibrant fun prints to snuggle into at the end of the day.  I cleared out the two top drawers of Mark's dresser so I could start folding my jammies and sweaters.  The dresser takeover begins.

The Pena print hanging so far out from the wall was bugging me.  I think it was because the nails in the wall anchors were too long.  And I couldn't adjust them as the nails were stuck like chuck in the anchors.  So I had to remove said anchors, reinstall new ones, patch the previous giant holes, find smaller screws to hang the art on, and repaint.

You can't even tell.

Then I hung it again (not shown) and the frame still sticks out a tiny bit at the top.  So I will add Sticky Tac to the underside of the top corners of the frame and call it done, because I don't want to fool with this any more.

I moved my plant babies - some to the garage, some to the guest room. (I was over having to load up my window seat in the kitchen every winter)  For the ones in the garage, I will water them once a week and let them soak up the morning sun a couple of days per week.  I also might arrange them differently, depending on how the sun hits the garage door.

I relaxed my "no new Christmas ornaments" rule for a carved snowflake at Hob Lob for a couple dollars on sale.  It made me smile and brought me joy.  Cheap thrills.

Gina