How I did or didn't do in May!

The first few things on the list were about the patio. 

So, the table got paint-it was gray.  I am proud of the fact that I managed to take it apart, paint it and put it back together without breaking the glass top--alone!

Then the umbrella and its stand came out .  I still need to tweak it a bit to stand up straiter.
I power washed the patio and the front walk which was interesting.  The first time I tried I "Scribbled" clean spots on the patio!  After a good long think about it I realized what I had done wrong and tried again.  It took forever!  Now I think I'll wash it a couple of times a year to hopefully to keep the dirt to a minimum.  

I painted 3 large pots and 3 rail pots blue filled the pots with flowers for the front steps and the rail pots with lettuce seed which is nearly ready for me to eat.

All the flower gardens have been cleaned up and seeds planted.  I still have regular outside chores like weeding to do --as always.

I have stared moving dirt out of the old veggie beds but that will likely be ongoing until fall.

I did get the house clean-mostly. My company came for a few days then flew off to the islands-they return on the 7th.

I finished and hung all the wish bells--they look pretty cute!

One other thing that got some work, at least mental work, is the studio.

More on that tomorrow.

I needed to decide what the studio needed to make it a space I enjoy.  This is hard as it's in an unfinished basement. No natural light.  This is what I decided:

It must be totally organized-with a home for everything and labeled so I don't have to HUNT for anything!

Must be attractive.

Must be WARM in winter.

Electrical outlets and new lights have to be added--so I can get rid of extension cords and see!

At some point I will build out, insulate and finish the cement walls, cover the ceiling and the floor but that is not going to happen any time soon.

What I didn't do was any sewing (not even on Zoom).

Nor did I call an electrician, clean the garage, or my truck.

I did not finish the Australia wall art but I've spent time thinking about it --and looking for my wooden silverware!

I haven't as yet found outdoor art-I've looked quite a bit but haven't found the right thing yet.

Last undone thing was to trim the spruce in the small garden right up against the front windows.  After dreading the project and really thinking about it I've decided to just take it out.  It has grown too large for the space and is too close to the foundation.  Taking it out will only take a little while but requires my little chainsaw and I have to figure out how to tighten the chain on it first.  I'm told there is a screw that completes the tightening but I have to find it.

Lastly, I haven't fixed the fence.  Changing out pickets is simple but the neighbor ran into one section with his riding mower and broke a 2x4 that the pickets are attached to.  I haven't figured out how to fix that yet.

Everything, I do requires research or figuring out how to something, fix something, make something!

Thank goodness I have the swing!

I rest there often and always feel refreshed afterwards.

 
 

First Harvest!

I think I'll have pancakes with strawberries and ice cream for breakfast!

Just like in Sydney.

 

Wish Bells

Wish Bell

Lou asked about these there's a back story!

I watch Chinese, Japanese and Korean TV/Movies on YouTube.  I started because I was bored with everything else and they have some seriously gorgeous men.  I'm old, not dead!  I don't speak Chinese (of any variety), Japanese, or Korean so I must read subtitles.  It's really amazing what you can learn from shows you can't just listen to!  Like a little Chinese.  Anyway, I notice things about culture etc and I am fascinated by these little bells.  Not only do they hang these bells from trees but sometimes just the wish part is hung and sometimes on a board with pegs.  

As is often the case with my little projects I decided to try to make some using something I can't seem to throw into the recycling!

I have a couple of dozen of these glass jars, if the worst happened it would be okay.

After you take off the label and the leftover sticky you use a diamond drill bit and a spray bottle of water to drill a hole in the bottom.  This seems to take forever, I managed holes in 6 jars and only broke 3!

Then you make these:

I used pieces of paint stir sticks and drilled holes in both ends. Then I acquired big brass fish weights, ribbon, and embroidery floss.

Write your wish on the board with a sharpie-in English! Unless you speak some other language.  You should use that! Everything is strung together using ribbon with knots placed above and below the hole.

Then you make tassels-this was actually hard.

I made lots of mistakes on this first one but the next 5 should go better!

Perhaps the Chinese have a name for these but to me they are Wish Bells.

 

The May To Do List

One of my new teapots, it's tiny but oh so cute.

 The List is a bit shorter and has fewer BIG things to do.  That being said it is unlikely that I will finish everything on the list and at least one project is planned as a WISP (and it isn't stitchery!)

1.  Paint the table--tomorrow, I hope. Re-assemble it on the patio Weather permitting.

2.  Power wash patio, front porch area and driveway.

3.  Bring out the umbrella and base

4.  Paint 3 rail pots and seed 2 with lettuce.  Also tomorrow.

5.  Finish cleaning up the gardens and plant seeds

6.  Trim the spruce 

7.  Repaint the porch pillar, the mailbox pillar and the white around the door/window.

8.  Take out vegetable beds, spread the dirt and seed--WISP

9.  Replace the broken fence.

10. Decide on and purchase art for front porch and patio

11.  Clean House--I have company coming!

12. Finish the Wish bells

13.  Work on Turtle top, Blue and white quilt and little tree quilt.

14.  Decided what is needed to make the studio a comfortable, inviting place to sew.  
All while cleaning it up!

15.  Call an Electrician

16.  Clean the Garage (a 15 minute a day project)

17. Australia wall art

18.  Clean my truck

Well, not much shorter than last month but perhaps I have a better chance at getting it all done! It's raining, AGAIN today or I'd have painted stuff!

My other new tea pot.  Hammered Glass with metal plum leaves.  Stove top safe!

What did or did not happen in April

 We all know some of what I DID NOT do in April.

I did not sew.

I did not Blog.

I did not even READ blogs.

My bad.

April is the month where it is FINALLY late enough to work outside so I made a LIST!

I am prone to making lists then not doing anything on them (ADHD strikes) but this list was long enough that I could pick and choose what I wanted to do.

So here's the list and where it stood at the end of the month.

1. Clean and paint the patio table--it's cleaned (mostly) and in the garage.  I can't get the glass out even though I tried so now I have to paper both sides of the glass before I paint.  Guess what? It's on the May list!

2.  Power wash the patio, drive and house.  I tried.  I bought a power washing machine but when I tried to use it it just looks like I scribbled!  I have since figured out what I did wrong so I'll try the patio and drive again but I'll hire someone to do the house as it's 2 stories in the back and I am done with ladders (for now.)

3.  Bring out the Swing, Adirondack chairs, dining chairs, umbrella and base, and grill.  Everything except the umbrella and base is out, that will wait until the table is out as well.

4.  Add cushions, pillows and decor.  DONE!  Unless I change my mind and add something.

5.  Clean gutters.  DONE  Must call about getting covers for them!

6.  Trim trees and clean up-that took a week but it is DONE!

7.  Mow, trim and edge.  I've done the mowing thing three times now, abut not the rest.

8.  Clean up the flower beds.  I still have a few dandylions in a couple but I will be digging those things all summer.

9.  Deep rake and over-seed the front yard. DONE!  The clover is up and about the take over (I can only hope) and some new grass is beginning to show.  We've had nice rain since I did that so I haven't had to water!  YAY!

10.  Taxes  DONE!

11.  Trim the spruce ball in the front bed.  Nope, some birds have made a nest in it and dive bomb me if I get near.  Maybe by the end of May.

12.  Hang the wind chimes.  DONE!

13.  Some kind of Royals signage.  Still looking.

14.  Front porch decor.  DONE!  Painted Three pots blue and filled them with Petunias and geraniums.  Have to decide on placement still. Will take a photo when I decide.

15.  Wreath for front door.  Nope forgot that there isn't room between the door and the storm door for a wreath.  Thinking about what I want to do instead.

16.  Take out veggie beds and spread the dirt in low spots.  I've moved some dirt but this is nowhere near finished.

17.  Replace broken fence post and the 2x4 my neighbors took out when they hit the fence with their riding mower! Nope

18.  Start flower seeds.  Nope  I don't really know why this is even on the list, huh.

19.  Clean house top to bottom--oh no it's a mess.

20.  Work on turtle top, blue and white quilt and the little tree quilt-I'm sad to say that's big NO

21. Finish the wish bells-not quite.

I did not number this list when I made it --boy is it LONG!

I decided that I would done jigsaw puzzles to get me off of YouTube-it worked but I just spent the same amount of time doing puzzles. I'm not doing another puzzle for a while now.  Now I'm just going to go out and read in my swing.

I did some shopping.  Some tea pots, a wooden comb and some new gardening tools--All Japanese. A big bin to hold all the cushions etc on the patio-which came KD'd (of course) and took me a while to but together as it really wasn't designed to be done my one person.  It keeps things dry now.  I also bought a big pretty picture for over my bed-I've been looking for a long time for that.

I did also plant tomatoes and some additions to the hosta gardens.  I've worked pretty hard all month (except when it rained or I had other obligations.) and have overdone it so many times that the knees are really crying.  Yesterday, it was raining and I really needed to rest and apparently my brain decided that I had to sleep all day and all night!

Tomorrow, I'll talk about this months list!  It's shorter!