Quick list of what I have been doing

My life has been busy "in the sticks."
-New grandson
-Joined Red Hat society so now will have monthly lunches with them
-Am still sitting with ill neighbor lady
-Went to a seminar today on how a not for profit may apply for stimulus money
-Had DH spend half hour lying on mattresses to pick the one he likes (he hasn't made the decision yet)
-Took one bedding sample back to the store (not bright enough color for DH) and brought another home today
-Defrosted freezer and decided two turkeys were too many so am thawing one and will roast it for dinner tomorrow and ended up inviting new neighbors over for the meal

If you have not already noticed on blog of SWRM, she has a new blog she reads, The mind of Shawn. Check it out. Now I just need to get DH to start one.

Landscaping ideas please

The first two pictures are how this area was when we moved here. DH and I had to remove everything, add soil and then put aluminum flashing around the edges and heavy duty plastic underneath, with grading toward the middle. The purpose was to keep water from running down the foundation into the basement. So now we are ready to re-landscape it. I am asking for input from my readers. Should we just put the stones back as they previously were, or add something else. This is a spot that gets extremely hot.

The green in the first two pictures are weeds. I don't think I want to plant anything where we would need to put holes in the plastic. But any ideas are welcome.

Gourmet it was not

I met a woman who lives 6 miles from me who has developed "cooking classes". Actually she describes them as a fun evening with friends. She puts together a menu with recipes, cooking tips and then we have a dinner and just get to know each other. Ten to twelve women participate. The entree this time was "sandwich on a stick". She passed around plates with chunks of cooked meat, cheese, olives, tomato, cheese, lettuce and pickle. Your then threaded a skewer with the items, smear on a bit of mayo and mustard. Actually it looks like something kids would love. It was a bit incongruous to sit at a beautifully set table with fine china, flowers and candles and eat off a stick. I am expanding my experiences of living in this community and am really enjoying it.

Help from family

I can see why I need to post more often. I an having a hard time remembering what happened in my life since last Wednesday when I last posted. Well, I do remember that on Wednesday the flu virus struck with a vengeance. I consider myself healthy so can only imagine how a person who is frail or in poor health would fare. Within 24 hours I was better, thankfully.

On Saturday son and his daughter visited for the work day with DH. I know, I know, these pictures seem like some that I have posted before. They are new, we just repeat the same activities over and over. K was helping fix the motorcycle with a very large wrench.



























Son showed me the Mint.com site. It is pretty amazing for keeping a record of how your money is spent (costs are placed in proper categories),and where your investments and loans are. It is a bit scary putting all of your financial info out there, but it will save me a lot of time where I am now doing it manually in excel. DH said it reminded him of the book, 1984, where they talked about people willingly giving their information to the government. He may go back and read the book.

Budgets

At the request of DH I tried to put together an excel spread sheet of our expenses in 2008. It was a bit difficult doing it after the fact. Now I am doing a much more accurate one for 2009.
I am also doing one for the decorating budget.

In looking over the expenses for 2008, DH and I were in peals of laughter at our expense for clothing. I spent $430 for the following: two dresses for two weddings, two dresses for the reception. This year so far he has spent $24 for socks. Obviously, this is why the economy is in such dire straights. The way I am looking at it is that I should have plenty for my house decorating!

Speaking of which - The Interior Designer that I am working with was over today with some good ideas. Now I need to go to the stores and see the items myself instead of just on paper. It appears that turquoise is my color of choice. So there will probably be a little in each room. Every time I talk with a designer, they say, "Show me a piece of art or an object that you love." It gives them something to start the process with. It seems that just with my description she was able to understand my taste. The biggest hurtle is that DH likes really modern design, while I am more contemporary/traditional. It will be interesting to see how the compromise turns out.

Rain and garlic

It rained a lot this weekend. There were streams going across our yard. The good news that so far we have not had any further water leaks in our basement. It seems that the dirt was slanted toward the foundation which just brought the water in. DH piled dirt against the foundation last Fall and it seems to remedied the problem.

So far no daffodils or tulips are coming up. However, the garlic is. I planted three kinds last Fall. This is the first time I have planted garlic and had it in the ground over the Winter, so am excited that it is successful. Now I just have to figure out when the best time is to pick it. I guess when I need it for cooking. Garlic that I buy in the grocery stores here comes from China. I decided that was too crazy. Time to grow my own.

Being a neighbor

Each week I spend a day or two with a lady in our neighborhood who has pancreatic cancer and cannot be home alone. Several neighbors are taking rotations doing this. I met her one day before I went to her home. I find it a thought provoking activity in that we talk about her dying. She said she has lived a life where she has done things she wanted to and has few regrets. I am trying hard to received some life lessons from this. She has lived in the same little house in the country all her married life. A son lives close and spends the nights there, but she is too weak to walk alone, so she someone needs to be there while he is at work. Seeing the friends and neighbors all help is what "neighborliness" really is all about.

The pictures tell the story

"What a sweet motorcycle! I'd sure love to have one someday."

"Oh! My Father-in-Law is visiting."

"He allowed me to sit on it!"

"Someone took it off the trailer and parked it behind the garage beside my bike."

"How is it that I happened to have a motorcycle cover in my possession. Looks like this is a premeditated crime. Will my in-laws ever visit again?"