On Friday I played hookey and visited the Rhododendron Species Foundation garden with friends. An enjoyable tour, it reminded me that I am an absolutely atrocious gardener. Rather than being inspired to do better, I was shamed into at the very least weeding my poor beds and attempting to learn how to fertilize the four rhodies in my yard.
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Make any Memorial Day preparations, as needed. If you’re traveling, do you need to pack? Hosting a party so you need to shop and clean?
- Need to buy any graduation presents for upcoming June celebrations? Can you fit the gifts into your budget?
- Is it time for some mid-week laundry?
- Feel like writing in your journal or diary tonight? Blogging? Updating your blog, Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook, or website?
- Consider writing a quick cheery note to a relative you haven’t written to for some time. Maybe snap a quick photo of your kids, print it out and enclose that too. This is a great time of year to do this, as there’s no guilt or pressure associated with your note (It’s not Easter, Christmas, Mother’s Day or your relative’s birthday).
TODAY’S PROJECT: Gardening
Today my cousin will come over for dinner and a quick gardening lesson in my yard. An amazing gardener, she will whip me into shape and guide me at doing a better job of planning, planting, maintaining and weeding.
It’s raining today, but that can’t stop a Seattleite from doing a project. We’ll wear rain slickers (raincoats are too bulky) and hunch under umbrellas, then venture back into the house for a dinner of hot soup.
After she leaves, I still have a lot of gardening projects to do. I think they can wait for a sunnier dryer day though. My back yard needs to be mowed, and a vine is trying to take over my garden gate.
If you live in an apartment or condo where your gardening is done for you, lucky you! You get to sit around doing something fun today instead! 🙂 But you might check on any houseplants you own, seeing if they need water, repositioning or snipping.
LOVELY DARE OF THE DAY: Seed Packets
Do you have seed packets, bagged bulbs, or even live plants waiting to be planted in your garden? Here’s where I confess to having around eighty (and I am not exaggerating) packets of seeds I’ve purchased over the last couple of years. Maybe even three or four years. I’m not sure if the seeds are even “good” anymore – would they still sprout if I plant them? It’s a bit late in the season, already, for planting a flower garden that I hope to have survive and bloom into our frost-filled October.
But today I dare myself (and you, if applicable) to actually get those poor seeds into the ground. Or immediately give them away to a gardener friend who will actually use them soon. And I dare myself to not buy any more this year, or even next, until I prove to myself I can actually plant, care for and raise these plants.
LOVELY BLOGS: Between the Pages
Here’s a really fun blog that showcases beautiful baked creations they find all over the web. They’re currently showcasing a Wizard of Oz cake; Angry Birds cake and cupcakes; and some of the coolest Star Wars cookies I’ve yet seen.
LOVELY TV: Million Dollar Rooms
While I don’t actually want to live in a million dollar home (even if I won the lottery, I swear!) I really am enjoying this show lately. It’s featured a fabulous indoor/outdoor two story living room; the most incredible indoor pool I’ve ever seen; an incredible black giant gourmet kitchen installed in a 1920s style mansion; and the homeowners featured never really seem too arrogant, just excited to show their design choices.
As long as watching this show doesn’t make me discontented with my own modest home furnishings, I’ll let myself watch and enjoy it.
LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:
5 Common Sunscreen Mistakes (Skin Cancer Prevention/About.com)
Green Rice with Smoked Paprika (101 Cookbooks)
Meet My Knives, and Discover a Home Economist’s Dirty Little Secret (Worth the Whisk)
Prepping Your Outdoor Spaces (Martha Stewart)
Sunshine Sweet: Citrus Curd in Desserts (Sweetapolita)
Vidalia Onion Soup with Wild Rice (Smitten Kitchen)
Why Not Stop Competing With Others? (The Simply Luxurious Life)
