Keeping Myself in Stitches!

New Year... New Thoughts on Shoveling :)

So... today we got walloped (whallopped? hit really hard???) with our first BIG storm of the season.  Not sure the final totals, but my house appeared to get somewhere from 8"-12".

So this is what I faced for a challenge to shovel:

 

And my new approach to shoveling is this:  "Your driveway is only as big as you want it to be" :)

45 minutes later...

 

I have a spot just big enough for the Yaris... and a nice long path to the door :)

 

Long driveways are SO overrated ;)

Reflection and looking forward

So I just went and reviewed my New Year's resolution for 2010... I honestly hadn't remembered what I had wanted for this year.

So... to be more positive in all aspects of my life.  There were a few things this year that tested this a lot for me.  But that being said, I did make a conscious effort toward this... and while it's still a work-in-progress, I think I was better this year. This was not a one-time resolution though... it stays on the list for this year.

So for 2011... I have lots of things I want to do (continue my running, go hiking more, spend more time with great people, kick butt in the Shawnee Peak Challenge ;), get arms like Linda Hamilton :)...) but no real resolutions except to try to be the best friend and person I can be... put good energy out in hopes of getting good energy back.

May 2011 be a great year for all of you!

Hey there, Blog! Long time no see...

... I missed you :)

Time to revive the writings of Cheryl.  Thinking I'm going to start talking more about cooking in the next year (thus possibly forcing myself to cook more often and more creatively :) )  I also hope to post more about cool vacations... hiking... running... gardening... knitting... painting bedrooms...

It'll be a fun year :)

 

Labor Day Weekend!!

Happy Unofficial End of Summer, everyone!  Fall is my favorite season, so I'm not saddened by this... and really, we've had an AMAZING summer... so I feel I didn't get short-changed ;)

This weekend was full of beautiful weather, allowing me to get some work done outside.  Some of you know I have BIG PLANS for the outside of my house.  Walkways to construct, flower beds to construct and plant, veggie gardens to make, lawns to weed... lots of stuff going on.  This weekend I started to make some visible progress on some of this... observe... :)

First... the area between my garage and my neighbor's land.  This area used to be shaded and mossy and gross.  But this year, the neighbors cut down all the trees that were shading the area.  So, the big plans for the area include a full out weeding, creation of raised beds for a couple veggie gardens, laying of some pavers, and removing/transplanting a forsythia bush from the front of the area to the back near the fence.  Not finished... but PROGRESS...

Before:

 

Lots of weeds... old leaves from last year against the fence :(  Forsythia is in the foreground to the right...

AFTER: (partially finished)

I have almost half of the area weeded (doing it all by hand, but it's going well!)  I transplanted some parts of the forsythia bush along the back fence (the rest still needs to be dug up)  I also put together my snazzy new compost bin :)  It's not horribly attractive, I realize, but I'm excited to start using it :)

Project #2 that I'm insanely proud of... my new yard-waste composting area :)

This too is a work-in-progress, but it will do for a little while... I acutally busted out my new circular saw to make this :)  Cut down a couple pallets to about 3' high... removed the boards from the back side, put them up on a couple blocks and tied 'em together with some zip ties.   

I'm going to make another and some more walls once I get more pallets.  Looking forward to not only getting some good compost for my soon-to-be gardens in upcoming years, but also not buying as many lawn/leaf bags from now on!

Final project.. not that I did a lot with it... but I took pictures, so I might as well get them up here.  I'm started to remove some rocks from an area around the back of my house and "rezone" how I want it edged... (note my awesome, yet no yet functional, rain barrel!)

You can see the rocks... that's where the edging used to be.  I removed one wheel barrow full of rocks today... I will be moving the edging to where the wood is right now (make the mowing easier and allow me a nice walkway to the deck stairs.  This is one of the projects that will take a while... but at least I feel like I have a plan.

So many more projects to do too! But I have until the snow flies... so most of them should get done :)

Productive weekend! 
 
 

Friday #2 of 5

So, Friday the 9th was my second Friday off this month.  I spent the day at my first ever "non-work" golf tournament.

 
I entered with an awesome team of my pals Melissa, Eric, and Jason... we rocked :)

 
The tournament was sponsored by my company... go Tyler!

 
Eric carried the team :)

 
Jason carried... his clubs ;) (haha... jk Jason... we all know we had carts for that ;))  haha

Melis was styling and Princess of the Course as usual!  

There were turkeys to be chased... (I swear I didn't aim at them :))

I had a great time... can't wait for next year's tourney!!

 
 

The Cat Days of Summer

"We're havin' a heat wave!!!"

Been a hot weekend up here in Maine :)  And the cats are feelin' it... Ralphie has decided that the slight breeze coming in the windows is the best remedy for the heat:

He also wanted to make sure that Kitty was staying clean in this heat...

 

"Hold still, Kitty!  I'm not done yet!" 

Friday #1 of 5 :)

So as a treat to myself, I'm taking every Friday in July off from work this year :)  I hope to get a few things done around the house that I've been meaning to do (and I'm taking a mini-vacation one weekend).

So July 2 was the first Friday off... and here's what I did.

These are three holly bushes (well 2 holly bushes and something that thinks it's a holly bush) that are between my deck and my patio at home.  I've never been a fan of these bushes and have been meaning to get rid of them since I moved in.  Friday I went after them...

 
One...

 
Two...

Three.

In just two hours... I gave myself a new blank canvas...

And my buddy Seth now has three new bushes at his house :)

Not sure what's going to get planted there yet.

The rest of Friday was spent hanging at the beach... not too shabby for day #1!   
 

Sometimes you forget to do the math...

subtitle: "Who needs a truck!?" :)

So I got to have a little shopping spree at Lowe's tonight thanks to some coupons from my credit card company.  I decided to get my "home improvement wishlist" together and see how much of it I could get.  I have lots of new things now... (like a ladder FINALLY, and new moulding for my kitchen pass-thru, and shelves for my closets... and a nail gun :)) yay!

Now for the title of this post...

So I went to Lowe's, measuring tape in hand, realizing that I needed to measure the ladder I wanted to buy to make sure that it would fit in my little Yaris. I knew that I really only had about 7 feet length-wise to work with.  So at the store, I measure my ladder and put it on the cart as I realize it will fit.  Then I spend a bunch more time trying to figure out the measurement on some moulding and other boards I wanted to buy.  I did tons of number crunching to figure out the best buy and the best lengths to get.  And setlled on the 10-foot moulding pieces (at this point you might see the problem).  Apparently the tape measure part of my brain forgot that my car only has 7 feet of room... happens when you're in that store too long.  Get delusions of home improvement grandeur ;)

So long story short... I drove home with moulding sticking out my window and was pretty impressed that the little Yaris handled it all :)  What a great little car I have!

A Lesson in "Over Packaging"

... brought to you by the folks at "Choose-Your_gift" in Chicago, IL.

 

In my mail today was a box... big enough to put a good sized book in it.  But it's not a book.

Nothing I like more than to open a box and find lots of PAPER!!! wuhoo!!!!

And inside the paper... MORE PAPER!!!

And wrapped in all that paper is AN ENVELOPE!!

And in the envelope... another piece of paper! But at least this one has my LL Bean gift card attached to it :)  (with which I shall buy new hiking boots!!! yay)

Couldn't have just sent the card in an envelope???????   
  
 
 

Just what I needed...

After today... seeing this in my kitchen tonight has started to make things better.

HA!