Today I’m forcing myself to get my gardening chores done. I’m dreading the planting and weeding, but I do enjoy watering, so at least I can look forward to that ritual at the end of the evening!
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Have you shopped for your Mother’s Day present? (Don’t forget your mother-in-law, grandmother if she was more like a mother to you, or other important maternal women in your life). Mother’s Day is May 10 this year.
- Make menu plans for the week and write up your grocery list, if needed.
- Look over the week ahead – Who has a doctor, dentist, or haircut appointment coming up? Any pets going to the vet? Any birthdays you need to remember to call or send cards and gifts for?
TODAY’S PROJECT: Gardening
I really, really do not enjoy gardening. Unfortunately, however, I really really do enjoy buying flowers and plants. I love driving up and seeing beautiful splashes of color in my yard.
I’ve been guilty so many times in the past of taking so long to plant flowers after bringing them home, that they died before I could put them in the ground! This spring I promised myself to do better. Buy fewer flowers, plant them right away, and spend more time caring for them.
So today, a lovely sunny 70 degree Seattle day, I’ve cleared my afternoon for planting and weeding. I noticed myself stalling earlier today by doing important chores – laundry, washing dishes, making an elaborate lunch for myself. I have to kick myself in the rear and get outdoors and finish this chore!
I have three flats of flowers to plant in the front bed, two flats of ranunculus to plant by the front door, and three pink jasmine to plant in my back yard. Plus endless weeding.
Hopefully this evening I’ll be done with my dreaded gardening, and can relax with a glass of vinho verde wine and a magazine in my back yard!
Do you have any gardening to do today? Whether it’s in your backyard, on your patio, front yard, or just involves taking care of some houseplants?
LOVELY BLOGS: Crinoline Robot
“Vintage, alternate histories, and the world of tomorrow.” I’m enjoying looking through the archive of Mim’s past posts. She’s a journalist from the UK, and collects all sorts of interesting vintage tidbits to share on her blog as she goes along. She shares the occasional vintage outfit posts, blogs about costume drama type TV shows she’s enjoying such as Poldark, shares tips on buying items from charity shops, and writes about the vintage fairs and events she attends, including Vintage Nostalgia. Check out her helpful post on how to look after and shop for vintage perfume.
http://crinolinerobot.blogspot.com/
LOVELY BOOKS: Floral Illustrations of the Seasons
Here’s another lovely out-of-copyright vintage book you can look through and enjoy online for free. I wonder if some of the more artistic crafters among you might find the vintage flower illustrations useful for some upcoming projects. Treat yourself to a few minutes of looking through at least the Spring flowers here!
Floral Illustrations of the Seasons, at Archive.Org
LOVELY FOOD: Chocolate Caramel Honeybees
I think these chocolate caramel bee-shaped candies would be perfect for a spring birthday gift or a Mother’s Day gift. They’re by John & Kira’s. They also make an adorable set of chocolate praline red ladybugs.
Chocolate Honey Caramel Bees, at Dean & Deluca
LOVELY MOVIES: Learning to Drive
I find the premise of this show extra compelling, as I have so many East Coast friends who don’t know how to drive. I like Patricia Clarkson, and who doesn’t love Ben Kingsley? This looks like the perfect movie to take my aunt or mother-in-law to.
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/learningtodrive/
LOVELY SHOPS: Danielle Origami Lamps
These paper origami lamps aren’t cheap – they cost just as much as a regular lamp. But I love how unusual and different they are! I’m not sure they’d fit in with my old fashioned decor – they’d look nice in a midcentury modern style home though. The “Aladdin Pink” lamp is my favorite.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DanielleOrigamiLamps
LOVELY TV: Younger
Lately I’ve been enjoying this TV Land original show about a woman in her 40s who re-enters the workplace and finds it’s easier to get ahead of she pretends to be in her 20s. I like the lead actress, don’t care either way about her co-star Hilary Duff, and I’ll good naturedly pretend the main actress could actually pass herself off as being in her late 20s. I find it fun to have these episodes on in the background while I work. I’m a bit annoyed though that the main character supposedly doesn’t know much about Pinterest, Instagram, or the Internet in general and has to be taught by one of the twenty-somethings about those things. Heck, I have been using the Internet for over 20 years and I was on all those services right away before any 20 year old hussies discovered them. Sheesh. Anyway, if you need some harmless fun TV watching in your life, check out a couple of the episodes offered online.
http://www.tvland.com/shows/younger
LOVELY TV Back in Time for Dinner
This is totally my current obsession. I love this show! A British family volunteered to be filmed for this reality show for several weeks. They will live their life (at least on the ground floor of their home, which is refurbished for a new decade every week) as though they were back in time. The first episode is set in the 1950s, where the mom of the family struggles to cook under post-war rationing conditions and without a refrigerator or microwave. The second episode (of six) is set in the 1960s, and the final episode gives us a glimpse at the future. As much as I love vintage retro style and food history, this show has completely captured my imagination.
Now there’s also a book based on the show. “Back In Time For Dinner: From Spam to Sushi: How We’ve Changed the Way We Eat.” I’m dying to read it – perhaps we’ll read it together at the Lovely Living University book club.
Luckily you can find the episodes all over YouTube. Join us over at Lovely Living University where we’ll be watching an episode together and chatting about it in our chatroom, every Sunday.
Back in Time for Dinner at BBC
Back in Time for Dinner Sequel Set (The Guardian)
Back in Time for Dinner Episode 1, on YouTube
LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:
Blackberry and Lemon Curd Tart (Edible Etcetera)
A Decluttering Bible Boosts Business at Secondhand Shops (Chicago Business)
How to Make Meyer Lemon Curd (Baking Bites)
Princess Crown Cookies (The Bearfoot Baker)
Sandwich Cookies with Raspberries and Lemon Curd (Olive Oil and Lemons)
Strawberry Basil Sorbet Bellini (The Cookaholic Wife)
What “Food Porn” Does to the Brain (The Atlantic)
Why Women Aren’t Having Children (The Atlantic)
–Copyright 2015 Lovely Living
