Life: It Goes On - May 4

Happy Sunday and May the Fourth Be With You! 

I saw the original Star Wars movie shortly after it was released in 1977 with my boyfriend. We waited in a packed theater lobby for an hour (his idea, not mine - maybe that was the origin of my hatred of big crowds!). I'm no Stars Wars nerd but we managed to create two of them when we introduced our two eldest to the original trilogy when they were in grade school. Each of them got, as their first tattoo, a Star Wars symbol. When my Mini-him was in 2nd grade, he and a couple of friends played Star Wars at recess and he was Han Solo. May 4th always makes me think of my kids! 

Last Week I: 

Listened To: I finished Samantha Irby's We Are Not Meeting In Real Life and started Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures. When we saw Van Pelt recently I bought a copy of the book and had it autographed. But when she said that Marin Ireland and Micheal Urie read the audiobook, I knew I wanted to listen to the book and requested it from the library - loving it so far! 

Watched: The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry - it's a lovely little movie that gave me all the feels. And made me want to re-read Silas Marner, by George Eliot, on which it is very loosely (think Clueless to Emma loosely) based. 

Read: Also The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, which I had planned to finish before watching the movie, but...oh well. I am really enjoying Gabrielle Ziven's writing. 

Made: It's been a very lazy week in the kitchen. Last night I made the version of goulash I learned about from a college roommate and today I'm making refried beans. 

Enjoyed: Two trips to nurseries this week, an afternoon yesterday spent getting those plants into pots, and an evening around the fire pit last night with friends, enjoying the work of the afternoon. 

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This Week I’m:  

Planning: Today will be about finishing up the planting, cleaning up a bed and planting seeds, and getting the outdoor decor out. Also, I've got a project I need to finish up that's spread out on the dining room table (more on that later) and a photo organization project that needs attention. 

Thinking About: The Big Guy went to the Berkshire Hathaway meeting extravaganza yesterday and came home with squishmallows of Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger. Add those to the other toys he's collected over the years and I'm left wondering two things if I'm not actually married to a little boy at heart. Where in the world does he plan to keep Warren and Charlie?!

Feeling: Happy! I got to play in the dirt for hours yesterday and almost nothing makes me happier than getting my hands deep into dirt and then seeing all of that lovely color throughout my yard. 

Looking forward to: Mini-him and BG are headed to the theater this afternoon to see Monty Python and the Holy Grail and then Mini-him and Miss C will join us for dinner on the patio. I love being able to entertain on the patio!

Question of the week: What's are your favorite perennial and annual plants? 

Life: It Goes On - May 14

Better late than never, right? I woke up feeling super productive yesterday and couldn't stop long enough to post. That's what spring does to me! I cleaned, I did laundry, I gardened. The perennials are finally coming along and the annuals and herbs are all planted. I've planted mostly mosquito deterring plants this spring - lavender, geraniums, catnip, marigolds, and lemon geranium (aka citronella). We've got a major ground cover/shady area project yet to do - we'll move a lot of stuff we already have including lily of the valley, hosta, and bleeding heart. My backyard is my happy place again!

Last Week I:

Listened To: I'm about 70% through Seating Arrangements and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it.

Watched: Westworld and The Voice (although this may be my last season of this one - starting to feel too much like a judge popularity contest). I can't remember anything else we watched, although I know I didn't watch nearly as much as I normally do.

Read: Loving Madeline Miller's Circe; I'm going to be sad to be done with it tomorrow. Then I move on to this month's book club selection, The Women In The Castle.

Made: Champagne cupcakes, dipped strawberries, and a cranberry/pink lemonade punch for the bridal shower we hosted on Saturday. Strawberry rhubarb pie and rhubarb sauce from the first harvested crop of 2018. Cooking with rhubarb always wraps me up in all the  mommas I come from - my plant came from one grandma, my pie recipe from another, and my mom taught me how to make rhubarb sauce.

Enjoyed: Dinner with friends, happy hours on our friends' deck on Friday evening, making a bride happy with the shower, and Mother's Day with my kids (well, Mini-me via a long, long telephone call).


This Week I’m: 

Planning: On a lot of cleaning this week. My family will be coming for a long weekend next weekend and every last bed will be put to use.

Thinking About: Sunny days on the patio, tomatoes on the vine, fresh foods at dinner.

Feeling: Tired bu accomplished.

Looking forward to: Voting tomorrow then heading off to my friend's (she is running for office!) campaign party.

Question of the week: We have been so busy the past couple of months; spring is flying by. Have you found time this spring to enjoy the season?