Tomatoes and Beans and Peppers, Oh My!

I got not one but TWO seed catalogs in the mail yesterday. I looked through them while it was snowing. I love a good bit of incongruity!

Last year, I had such big dreams for the garden. I

• dog eared pages in my catalogs (in addition to the must haves of my title, I'd love to do sweet peas, pumpkins, lettuces, gourds, potatoes, cucumbers for pickling, and don't even get me started on the flowers!),
  
• considered starting seeds indoors,
  
• wondered how I could expand the size of the plot without breaking my back,
  
• worried about keeping out the critters (not so many bunnies last year, but there's a wood chuck living next door)
  
• and even dreamed of an apple tree (forgetting that you generally need to plant two close together so that they pollinate).

And yet, I planted nothing. (insert sad frowny face here) This year, I really would like to expand the size of the garden, if only to get it away from the back fence, because there is a lot of vegetation that encroaches on that area.

I've read a lot about lasagna gardening, but I should have started it three months ago. I think it'll still work if I start it once the snow is gone, though.

I do miss having a garden, so I hope I stay motivated this year.

Fresh Start

OK, the start of a new week. Still lots to do, but I feel so much more energized and ready to get started!

The Serger came unthreaded again (of course), and it's the one thread that consistently gives me trouble. I'm going to call the store today and schedule a private lesson on how to use it. It's pricey, but if it means I'll be able to use the machine more effectively, it'll be a totally worthwhile use of my birthday $.

So sewing & baking are at the top of the list this week. Jeff comes home tomorrow night, and he'll be home Wednesday & Thursday as well. Sarah has Spelling Camp tomorrow, and her Girl Scout Party on Wednesday. Lauren has her party on Thursday, and my Dad & Sharon are coming to take them to see the lights Thursday night.

Here's looking forward to a fun, busy, productive week!

Epiphany

One of the things that has been stressing me is this dance for Lauren on Sunday. I was really lost. I knew it didn't have to be Julliard-quality, but I really didn't know what to do at all.

Then I realized--all she needs to do is get out in front of the rest of the choir, smile, and have fun with it. Yeah. Lauren can pretty much do that in her sleep. I realized that what I really needed to do was get out of her way and let her go for it.

So we watched a couple authentic hula instruction videos on YouTube, and also watched the only YouTube file of Christmas on the Beach in Waikiki, which includes a bunch of guys in grass skirts being goofy. She loved it, and has come up with something fairly passable on her own already. We'll go over it a couple more times, but this is another thing that I do not need to have total control over. Yay!

a little overwhelmed

still don't know what to do with Lauren for her solo Hawaiian dance

my mom is recovering well from her surgery (new hip), but hearing her sound so subdued and tired (on the phone) is really odd.

my dad is sick with some kind of bug, and so morose that he's thought about starting smoking again, and is now ready for my stepmom to pierce his ear.

haven't done any sewing

haven't finished photo albums, still can't get good pictures

just not motivated to do much of anything

On my mind

• still need to make three kimonos--realized that I'm stalling because I don't have an official pattern.
• also need to make three more tiered skirts. Luckily, these are total no-brainers. Will need more elastic for the waists.
  
• need to figure out a dance for Lauren to do to "Christmas on the Beach at Waikiki" for church. Know it doesn't have to be authentic at all, but would still like it to look good. Fairly stumped on this, though I've been looking at a lot of YouTube.
• I deleted over 4000 old emails today.
• love this idea. If it's not too much of a pain, I'll end up making LOTS of them.
  
• Jeff's grandma died yesterday. Funeral is Friday.
  
• need to get Christmas pictures of girls ASAP, but no one is in a very cheerful mood today. Also, my flash won't work. And the pictures that I did get won't download (that happens periodically, but I don't know why.)
• so glad the girls found Christmas dresses they love, and that I am not sewing those.