Times Flies....It's June, Baby!

Woo....hooo! A few days of freedom...sort of :) I finished grading and uploading final scores for spring term yesterday. Technically I have two finals this coming week for the massage program and my summer term in person course to prep, but I'm not too worried about any of them. So yesterday afternoon turned into my favorite end-of-term time: the time when I weed out, recycle, & organize all sorts of stuff I've been putting off doing. I still have more little projects to do but at least I made a sizeable dent in some of the stuff that I've been so behind on taking care of. This has been the term of treading water, as I never truly have felt "on top of" anything organizationally. I'm not sure if this term will be much better but only time will tell. :)

So a few pretty decent changes since the last update:

---I had a week or two to myself in the house (amazing!) after M moved out (which ended pretty poorly on his final day unfortunately). On Memorial Day, I helped my current housemate unload her storage shed components into the garage and then over the course of that final week in May she transitioned the rest of her stuff into her room. Granted the first few months are usually pretty good when sharing housing with someone new, but seriously...she's quiet, she's health conscience, she's focused, she enjoys the animals, we have similar interests/values but also lots of differences, and she helps take out the trash/unload the dishwasher/keeps the bathroom clean. (She also shares here Vitamix.....which is AmaZING!) In comparison to the last six months with M, my stress is so greatly reduced and I'm loving it. We'll be joined by the AirBnB gal in a week and she'll be here for two months. I'm hopeful the three of us will do well together.

---My brother came up again last weekend and helped finalize the coop and arbor. I painted the remaining boards on the arbor, hung my lanterns, and set up the new hammock yesterday. The kiwi is out of control per usual so I might trim it this week sometime. I finished the coop on Monday, returned the roosters (miss my sweet lil guy!), and found two new little hens to complete the flock. The hens are smaller due to breed so I might get one other larger lady also. They spent one night in the new coop so far but we dropped temps again so I put them back in the garage coop until wee one gets all her feathers in..or it heats up :)

---The kitchen sink backed up again. The landlords had me call a plumber. In clearing the kitchen line, the main line clogged so then he had to clear the main line. All in all, I learned a lot about the pipes in the house (which are incredibly old and small). We'll also be switching back to composting rather than using the disposal, which means that I need to finalize my compost project ASAP. :) In other related learning news, I was motivated last week by an external source, and I finally retaught myself how to use a drill and the saw.....my brother was very happy to have me help even more and now I can do many more projects solo.

---Technically I don't know if I can call it truly dating but at the very least I'm getting back out there with getting to know new options for potential partners. It's been interesting this time around, as I'm so settled in myself now that I really don't care either way if I meet someone or invest much time in the process at this point in my life. After everything the last few years have brought, I am much stronger in who I am and I'm not willing to lose that to anyone else again. I'm also okay with the notion of just being solo for a long while if it means being happy with myself. I have so much already in this life and while I like the notion of having someone to share that with long term, I don't know if all of us are cut out for long partnerships :) Regardless....I had a really awesome "date" this last week. We met at the Waterfront in the evening for a jog, originally planning on only 3-5 miles but we ended up doing 8, although there was some walking in there too. The views along the waterfront were incredible and I saw so many new areas that I've never explored before (wish I could have snapped pictures!). We were able to chat along the way, but really it was just fun to be out doing something we both enjoy. I don't really know that any of these outings will pan out into anything, but it's fun and low-key all the same.

---Lil' cousin got married...and it was such a gorgeous and really great wedding. Everything from her dress, to the center pieces, to the food, to the decor, to the speeches was spot on...and it was so wonderful to see her truly glowing, happy, confident, and totally in her element. So very happy for her!

---Three kayaking outings last term were incredible. I seriously loved the experience and eventually I definitely would love to purchase one. I had a paddleboarding outing last weekend that was wonderful also. This summer I only registered for the surfing weekend, but I am so stoked that my employment covers these opportunities. In other outdoor news, the dogs and I made our annual Kings Mtn summit. This summer I plan to thru hike all 22 miles of the Wilson River trail in one day and I have my first backpacking trip of the summer on the calendar.

---Tomorrow I'm hosting an old undergrad friend and her husband for dinner. They're visiting from Oakland (M and I saw them while in SF last spring break) and I'm so looking forward to catching up after all this time! In July my gal Christina and her boyfriend will be here from Atlanta, my buddy R who moved Texas will be in town for a couple days, and my old high school friend Matt and his fiance will be passing thru while visiting from Edmonton. In mid-August, my gal Caitlin will be here and we've scheduled a girls day with our gal Brook also. Then in early August, we'll also celebrate Granny's 103rd birthday and so family will be in town for the celebration. My cousin and her husband also get back at the end of this month from their six months of central America travels. :) So lots of great visits coming up this summer.

So ya....I'm sure there's more in there that I'm forgetting but those are the biggies. Really it's the little moments that seem to be the most awe-inspiring though: holding the chickens, Roxi's crazy expressions, delicious steak dinners & Argentine wine evenings, nailing out a fast run, structural work on my lower leg muscles, conversations with the housemate in the kitchen, flowers, wrangling strawberries, sunning on the patio, lawn mowing.

I'm making progress on my goals although slowly, but I'm not too worried about where I stand with goals as much these days. I know that I'm moving forward...and really I'm just happy with...well, being.

It's a pretty good place to be these days.

It Was a Great Friday!

Howdy, howdy....

Today I slept in as long as I could before breakfasting, dressing, and heading to my medical appt. Verdict is: they're going to cut out the issue...and when I checked my coverage, I was happy to find that not only will this hopefully take care of the issue but outpatient surgery (minor I tell ya, it's uber minor but for some reason I have to be in the operating room...) will only cost be $75. Woohoo!

A quick trip to the grocery store to restock the low items, up my vitamin ante (I've decided to just start taking a variety of supplements and hope those help!)...and pick up a new sink trap since we had a backed up sink this week which required the landlords to fix it. Thank God for my awesome landlords!

When I got back to the house, I rested for a bit, started on my laundry, took care of my homework that is due this next week, and then I hauled out the lawnmower and got busy mowing down the jungle that has been growing out there. Somehow even though I was tired, it turned into one of the best mow jobs I've ever done. Mowing seriously makes me happy though. I love seeing the yard go from disorderly to nice and pretty...and the sunny afternoon did wonders for me as well. Since it was already looking better, I decided to pick up some of the debris around the yard to continue with the trend.

Then a text to my brother to ask if he might be willing to help me build some new compost bins, if we also make one for his place....led into his asking if I still needed help with my other yard projects. I felt like the skies had parted and I eagerly filled him in on what I wanted to do. Since he agreed to help me, I decided to test the body out and get to work taking care of some of the preliminary stuff that needs to happen before we can get to the larger projects. The rest of the afternoon was spent:
--transferring dirt from the lower raised bed into my still empty higher raised bed that had settled over the years and needed an upgrade
--taking measurements of the current coop and arbor to visualize and compare to the new spaces
--checking out my stock of random wood to see what might be able to assist with either project
--pulling weeds from all around the backyard
--cutting back and taming the marionberry
--hauling cinderblocks across the yard & constructing a new smaller higher raised bed plus hauling dirt to fill the new one in
--filling the yard debris container plus my back up one from the winter's pile
--sweeping both back patios and setting out the summer's chairs
--hauling my still potted Asian pear across the yard to a new location
I don't know that all the projects will get done (especially since I'm not entirely sure that my brother and I can actually manage to move the coop--it might be too heavy), but I'm at least excited to have something to be looking forward to and moving toward. For the last week it's felt like I couldn't do anything and just sort of blah in general, but today even though I had moments of feeling light headed...today felt great to be using my body again and heading toward continued yard improvements. It was so nice to look across the yard and see the rewards from today alone...but also to be able to envision what these completed projects might do for the yard also! The front isn't totally done either but I love looking around and just seeing how it's all come together so far....incredibly rewarding.

Honestly throughout a lot of today I kept thinking about "green" choices--the ones I used to implement, the ones I hope to return to implementing, and other ideas for which to head in. Beyond the potential chickens and composting, I love that I just keep reusing left over boards and cinder blocks (most came from my aunt's old deck and their stock piles), I made sure to pull weeds by hand to reduce spreading and to keep Dad from eventually spraying them whenever he comes to visit, I'm hoping to expand the list of veggies (the radishes are already coming up!) and preserving that I do this year, and it just dawned on me where I can put a new outdoor clothesline.

Also got to Facetime with Dad earlier in the afternoon while pulling weeds, and then we connected again this evening so I could Facetime with Granny. A nice, quick shower and then a dinner of Mexican-inspired chicken with sides of a baked sweet potato and sauteed zuke & onion. Ending with this opportunity to sit and blog for a bit.....

....Yes, indeed, it's been a very good day. Sunshine, productivity, and daydreaming. Happy, happy!

Home Tour 2014

So I still have the occasional home project that I want to complete (like adding a saying or patterned insert to the short burlap "curtain" I hung in the kitchen window) but for the most part, when I look around my home I feel comfortable and that the final touches that have been completed to it are completely representative of how I want home to be. While there might be the occasional movement of furniture within the rooms (and should M relocate then I'll need to secure an extra guest bed for the front bedroom), the home finally feels completed. I realized in reviewing past blog posts that I haven't posted any updates of how the home currently looks so thought I'd add some pictures here:

LIVING ROOM (viewed from the front entry):

although it may just as easily return to this lay-out: 

The Den (off the kitchen):

(furniture rotated and TV came in this space as it can be shut off from the rest of the house)

The Eating Area: 

Kitchen (viewed from the den looking toward the rest of the house):

Guest/Furnished Rental Room: 

(Eventually I might like to find a used silver metal bedframe for this space.)

My Master Bedroom: 

Love, Love, Love this finally completed space.

Of course, in the back of my mind I have LOTS of grand ideas for how to upgrade the actual spaces if it was a purchased home and not a rental (wood floors, tiled kitchen, rotate kitchen, darken kitchen cabinets and upgrade counter tops to concrete or recycled glass, redo bathrooms, upgrade windows, stain fireplace & add a mantel/built-ins, remove gas stove in den, add external vent to kitchen, create "open" concept), but I've seriously come to love the easy comfort the dogs and I have created in the space. The house is now a home that is every bit representative of who I am and how I want to view the world: full of light, soothing beachy colors, bits of texture and pattern, international components, simply furnished, functionally organized, inspiring art and wall hangings, mixes of old, organic, used, and newer elements, but most of all, well loved and lived-in.

Early August Randoms.....

....and yup, I'm so tired that that is as creative as a post title that any of you still reading are going to get! :)

Quick update of randoms:

---Life has been a whirlwind...obviously! Had lots of family coming and goings to celebrate Granny's 102nd birthday. Can hardly believe she's really that old and sure was great to have extra family time. (Potentially this will all be a post on its own.) We had our regular ladies tea party for Granny, there was a BBQ for my cousin and his wife who were visiting, some BrewFest action with same cousin, wife, and his parents (which are my aunt & uncle I'm closest to overall up here), two celebrations for my baby cousin's very belated 21, and Mom was here that particular weekend. That same week prior Granny had been here for her regular baking day and we made cookies, muffins, and mini-quiches---DELISH!

---In that same week my baby cousin spoiled me with a full body massage (given on the picnic table on the patio with the breezes swaying and the birds chirping---DIVINE!). The massage was well needed because my back had started to seize up the week before and I had been struggling with it. The massage loosened up everything and enabled me to be able to work out again. Although I've been struggling with some muscle tightness off and on since then. Trying to remember to stretch, hydrate, and use the foam roller that is on loan.

---I've gone on a couple other bike rides in the last month and honestly am finally falling in love with the idea of bike transport. It's taken me years and years.....but I might officially be there. There also was a trail run with Tall D, which turned into a 8 mile run and 11 total miles traveled for me---was loads of fun and made me fall in love with the easy accessibility of Forest Park. And there have been a few other jogs in there too.

---Signed up for a massage career preview day. Not sure how I'd fund the program at all, but it's still sounding appealing and would just be one year.... Also have three contacts to engage with to ask questions, etc.

---Have two housemates currently for August. Both are guys. One is married and his wife was here this last weekend. Both seem like they will be great short term options (one will be here until Sept 4th, the other until Sept 15th) Have another ad posted for after them.....

---Canned peaches. (Started this at 11pm with mom and I finished at 1:30am. Called Tall D at 1215am for a refresher on how to use the canner :)) Canned green beans. (My Cali housemate was quite intrigued and watched the whole process from start to finish.) Froze lots of peaches and blueberries. Baked a lot in July. Dehydrated zukes.

---Floated the river with the boys in July. Haven't seen much lately of regular D, but we're headed out for an overnighter backpacking trip today/tomorrow. Have been spending some time each week with Tall D--meeting up for dinner & a movie (The Great Gatsby shouldn't have been a flop!!, The Intern was funny, and Admissions (rental) was okay), the trail run, finally went shooting one day!, a couple afternoons of short term hanging out, etc.

---Still no job leads and right now the pickings for applying are slim. Hmm.....

---Had to drop Granny off in Salem today so my parents can take her down to stay with them for a few days. Stopped by to see one of my gals and her adorable lil girl. Hadn't seen them in over a year and it was so great to spend an afternoon catching up. Yesterday one of my favorite buddies from high school came over with his wife...and again it was so great to finally meet her and see him, as I haven't seen him in probably two years! It's always so nice to have those friends who regardless of the amount of time that passes, it's just as though no time has passed at all.

---This weekend there are two BBQs for my birthday. One on Saturday with my friends (which Tall D is tentatively providing a movie screen so we can try to watch a movie in the backyard AND is baking me one of his amazing carrot cakes from scratch!) and one on Sunday with my family. Friday evening my cousin and I are catching a local baseball game. Looking forward to all of the weekend!

---I've been working on the back yard then due to the upcoming BBQs. The patio got rearranged and twinkle lights were put up. Lights got added to under the kiwi and the bush itself got trimmed. The mulch finally got spread, bushes got whacked back and fertilized, and a few things were rearranged. The coop got a paint job (and I've been hemming and hawing about whether or not to bite the bullet again....). There are a few other lil jobs I want to finish (more mulch, mason jar lanterns, wheelbarrow drink container, and creating a half wall with cinder blocks to block the dogs), plus I've been collecting pallets for Tall D eventually to help me build some pallet chairs!

---still teaching online.....and there was a good bye work shindig for my gal R who is moving to a full-time faculty position in Eugene. Gonna miss that lady!

---and I've been eating more meat......but I swear my body is just craving protein and fruits/vegs these days. Still lower carbs and I'm back off the yogurt but keeping with kombucha on a weekly basis.

Anyway, how are all of you?! :)

Projects: Simple Center Pieces

So I'd mentioned having the opportunity to work on creating center pieces for our banquet tables. The original idea had been to buy pre-made herb assortment planters, but I couldn't find any available. (This being sustainable Portland, we wanted to have something that could be used again and/or planted.) In my searching I did notice that calla lillies were on sale for $7/pot, so I had the idea to use them as elegant, simple center pieces for our tables. The black pots were ugly however so I decided to fix them up a bit: 

Washed & dried 3 yards of burlap for 8 pots. Cut a square for each one.

While trying to decide how to secure the burlap, I stumbled upon my bag of saved twist-ties and rubber bands (Thank You Granny for the save everything life lesson :)....). The rubber bands around the burlap still didn't look great but they helped secure the burlap, and then I was able to tie the loose ends up around the base of the plant with twine.

Originally I was going to tie the loose ends up with the blue ribbon, but I liked the ribbon around the center (plus I could keep/hide the rubber band around the middle and pull the burlap up tighter from that central spot). Retied all the twine tighter and pulled the ends up tighter as well. (The ribbon is held in place with double stick tape.)

So much fun and so simple to make! And our guests were stoked to receive the plants as event favors. 

The other arrangements were marigolds & lil blue flowers in terracotta bowls. The only thing I did for those was to tie/tape thicker blue ribbon around the bowls.

Again, I'm realizing how fulfilling these types of projects are for me. It's so rewarding to come up with an idea, work it through, and have it turn out great! (And this time I even got paid for it--woot woot!)

Home Spaces I'm Loving

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my new living room space? :) 

Officially complete with the sign hung!

Finished Phase 3 (?) of the off-kitchen area yesterday. The black shelf is on loan from M while he's gone but goes in this space nicely, and I hope to use it both for a spot to hold canning materials and a quasi-bar. Those are the curtains mom just made, I made the pillows yesterday from fabric on-hand and made the signs two weeks ago. The mirror is an old-weathered garage find from my parents house that I've had for years, the futon was a freebie given to the ex and I (and it's pretty broken down at this point!), and the Ikea chair was a thrift store buy two years ago. The carpet was a Target cast-off I got at a thrift store last summer. I painted the stripes on the walls and the fireplace area to black last summer. There might be a phase 4 to bring the picnic table in come winter, but we'll see.... This space sort of evolved on it's own, but I'm seriously loving it and it's already attracting sitters to the space :) 

The patio is also getting dressed up, although it's not quite completed. Used curtains from the linen closet & tied them up with twine. I'd like to add some lights (Christmas white ones from garage), spray paint a table that's not shown (but need landlord permission), and hang a picture :) Dad built the table about twenty years ago and I picked that lil Target cast-off drape that I use as a table cloth up from a thrift store last summer. Flowers are from the back yard.

Don't mind that pesky finger up top! ;) Sitting corner in the front entry. With that half wall, you can be tucked in the entry in one of the chairs and no one would ever know it..... In this picture you can also see one of the blueberry plants, my tomatoes, and some of the strawberries! 

If you follow me on pinterest at all, then you'll probably see some of the themes from my boards shinning through here....good inspiration that pinterest is! But it's great to have lots of areas that feel homey and like an extension of myself. And I love making people feel cozy and welcome...stay awhile! ;)

Garden 2013

The chives and strawberries were left over from last year, so I transplanted some of them and then had Dad just till around the others. They take up two rows on one side of a raised bed. In that same bed, I planted two tomato plants and from seed: two rows of carrots and a row of lettuce.

After my parents left, I used part of the trellis from last year, some old scraps, and twine to create an improved trellis for the other raised bed. (The third cinder block, lower bed I didn't cover during winter and it got overrun with weeds--it'll be laid to rest this year....). I also moved the artichoke (it doesn't look too great here, so we'll see if it survives.) Two pepper plants (red & yellow), a basil start, and two zukes all got added to this box. From seed: a row of cucumbers (down by the zukes on the left), a row of pole beans, and a row of bush peas. 

The kiwi is in full growing mode!

The garlic and rhubarb are also up and high in their respective spots. The mint is coming in already and the blackberry is just starting to send out its runners.

Each year I add a few more fruits & veggies to the entry way area. We planted three blueberry bushes when we first moved in and last summer I added strawberries which are still there. This year I'm trying two tomatoes and watermelons, so we'll see if they take!

Still to plant (there's still room in the raised beds):

Leeks

Onion

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Kale

Cilantro

Also sitting on a table not pictured:

Another basil

Parsley

Rosemary

Ironically most my seeds were left overs from previous years and at least 1/2 the starts I got using a gift card my Dad gave me at Christmas. 

We'll see how much of it takes the first time around!

A Wonderful Parental Visit

Sometimes I think I take for granted just how amazing my parents are and how blessed I've been to have them. As they creep toward 70, I notice them slowing down and having more health issues, but I'm always amazed at how much they continue to give and give and give. In the moments when I've asked Dad how he's able to give non-stop to others, he always says that the greatest joy he gets is by serving others. If only I could adopt his same attitude to the manner of which he has it!

My parents arrived about 6:30pm last night (Monday) and before the sun gave way, Dad unloaded all his "goodies" and we got under way. I'd spent the day pulling weeds, planting a few flowers, cutting back bushes, and organizing the yard/patio a bit. So Dad and I walked the yard and I pointed out the areas for spraying, and Dad got to work with the first application. I can't remember the last time I've used a weed-eater and I'm not going to lie, it was pretty fun edging the lawn and chopping down the grass that the mower hasn't been able to get to in the two years I've lived here! 

Once I got my section of the yard duty done for the night, I headed in to get started on dinner. I threw together a salad and got the seasonings started for the boil, while Mom helped prep the veggies and helped peel the shrimp. While I'd definitely increase the spices next time (I should know at this point to double every spice recipe!), it was a ton of fun creating a different type of meal for my parents and everyone was satisfied with the shrimp, corn, and red potatoes. (Have I mentioned Mom is gluten-intolerant and pre-diabetic and Dad can't eat high-oxalate foods? I don't eat most meat and M doesn't eat tomatoes.... Hahaha) Between the boil and the salad, there was something for everyone and with only enough left overs for the dogs to get a couple potatoes and Lady got two shrimp ;)

After dinner (at 9pm), the evening entertainment was watching Dad (with a lil help from M) hang my sign in the living room. My father is a perfectionist, so it was going to be done right, although he did compromise on a few matters (and learned that I'm missing some tools that he wished I had) :)

The day itself had been H-O-T (87 with no breeze) so after we sat around enjoying my living room for a bit, we were all pretty ready to get into bed.

In the morning we were up and at 'em. Dad finished spraying round two on the weeds, while I ran up to my aunt's to borrow the tiny tiller. Both beds were tilled by 10am:

Then Dad couldn't help himself and he had to mow my lawn, while we waited for Mom to get back from the fabric store and I worked on planting my starts in the boxes. Dad and I ran the tiller back up to my aunt's and visited for a few. Then we came back and both devised a potential plan for how to replace a section of my falling down fence (on the cheap and mainly reusing various wood) and discussed moving some of the bushes out front. And then Mom got home and whipped up some awesome new burlap curtains for my off-the-kitchen area:

  

They look great! (Another pinterest-to-real life idea!) Then the two of them loaded up and I cut some peonies for my mother. (I'd also gifted her a potted pansy set for this upcoming Mother's Day (using a gift card my parents ironically had given me!))

Then I had them pose for a picture: 

Seriously, seriously blessed.

Looking forward to them coming back in a couple weeks for the next visit!

Pinterest to Real Life: Signs

Months in the making--I finally got my signs made! 

Now I just need the big one hung up.

Free lumber & old paint. Printed out letters, cut letters out, taped, and painted over.

They aren't perfect but I love the imperfections ;)