What Blooms in June

I took a walk through Wegerzyn Gardens Metropark the other day.  I had to.  I was driving past the park for the second time on a day that I thought was going to kill me.  (I won't go into the details -- I don't have to, because I'm pretty sure you've had days like that yourself.)  I figured it was either take a walk in the park or dive head first into a pile of cupcakes or something.  And I didn't have any cupcakes.

The walk was a good move.  I estimate it took the gardens about 30 minutes to quiet the mental frenzy that had built up for several hours (days, weeks, all month!).  And with zero added sugars.

Yes, I took photos!  Take a "walk" through my pictures and see what blooms here in June...

Allium as big as my head.

Clematis climbing an iron gate.  

Foxglove

Hydrangea

The elegant iris

Peony

Hardy little evening primrose

Queen Anne's Lace 

(It's just so... lacy!)

Roses, of course.

White and...

Hot pink!

Spiky purple salvia

Sedum growing in a stone wall

Snapdragon

Wisteria

 Ah, the serenity of the garden!

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Purge-athon - Part 1 - It's ON!

It starts tomorrow.  I look forward to this all year long:  the best week of the whole year!

It's time once again for the annual family camping/biking trip!  This vacation has everything:

- 50-mile daily bike rides

- group tent sleeping

- yummy camp food

- port-a-potties

- public showers...

Yep.  This vacation has everything... except ME!

Poor me.  I stay home all by myself.  I stay home and do no cooking, no cleaning, no carpooling, no shopping, no housework at all.  I stay home and spend an entire week working like a fiend on a project of my choosing, something I never have time to do the other 51 weeks of the year.

One year I cleaned out the garage.  Got rid of junk, reorganized all the tools and gardening stuff, painted the walls, ceiling, trim and floors.  Was my husband ever excited when he came home to that!

One year I sorted and either filed or shredded about twenty years' worth of obsolete family documents.  (Boy, I sure do miss all those phone bills and gas card statements from the 1980's!  But somehow I manage to get by.)

Last year I was feeling kind of lazy, so I "just" painted the kitchen and reorganized all the drawers and cabinets.

And this year?  Oh, there are so many options to choose from!  Should I paint the upstairs hallway and reorganize the linen closet?  Should I paint the foyer and reorganize the coat closet?  How about remodeling the "kid's bathroom" since the kids have all grown up and acquired bathrooms of their own?  Decisions, decisions!

Well, this year I have decided to keep it simple.  I'm just going to purge.  I'm going to rid my household of clutter once and for all.  I'm going to attack every hoard, hot spot and junk pile on the property until we are no longer stuffed with stuff.  

Someone call Goodwill and let them know they should hire on some extra help asap.  Cuz IT'S ON!

Next up:  Purge-athon Part 2: How Did This Happen?

"What Do You Do?"

I dread that question.  These days I never know how to answer it.  Once upon a time, it was easy:  I would say, "I'm a financial analyst," and that sufficed.  That was as much as people wanted to know.

But three big changes happened the year I turned 50 (besides turning 50):
  - I became a grandmother.
  - I became a wife for the second time.
  - I left the workforce to "stay at home."

"Staying at home" has a lot of facets to it.  Of course, I cook, clean house, do laundry, run errands, shop, garden, decorate, organize the household, handle finances, care for children (his, mine and grand-), care for pets, and even pay a little attention to my husband once in a while.

I do community service work.  I serve on the board of a not-for-profit foundation.  I play music and participate in other activities at my church.

I occasionally find a little time to do fun, creative things for my own enjoyment.  And then blog about them.

I'm also, apparently, a concierge.  It seems no one else in my extended family ever has time to pack for vacation, run the car into the shop, fix the leak, take the delivery, buy the tickets, find the missing *you name it*, sew on the button, wait around on the cable company, take kids to the doctor, buy the present, etc., etc., etc.

(The funny thing is, I did all the same things back when I used to say, "I'm a financial analyst."  Go figure.)

So, how do I explain in a word all that I do?  How do I answer that stupid question so that people understand I'm not "just a..."  How do I convey that, while I don't earn a paycheck any more, I am proud of the integral role I play in the well-being of my family and my community?  How?

This is how:

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Chalk paint and stencil makeover

Functional, good quality, but nothing exciting.  This fine little chest really needed a makeover -- something to make it stand out.

 I started by painting it with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Napoleon Blue.  But it wanted something more...

I found some cute stencils in a bird and branch motif by Martha Stewart at the craft store.  I used the stencils as the basis for a tree branch design, painted with Annie Sloan in Coco and Olive.

I also went free-style with some of the branch design.

Chalk paint provided even more interest:  Primer Red berries dotted here and there, and a little bird in mottled Provence teal and Olive, perched jauntily on the main branch.

I also used a brown Sharpie marker to give the branches the appearance of wood grain with random squiggles and swirls.

To give the piece a rich patina, I applied dark wax.  I like to thin the wax with some mineral spirits, in about a 1:1 ratio, to the consistency of a thick soup.  Then I apply the wax with a natural bristle brush...

and buff off the excess wax with a soft rag.

Before dark wax and after.  Quite a difference, don't you think?

Finally a coat of clear wax, some new hardware, and my little chest is a stunner.

Telephone Bench Makeover

The antique store wanted $40 for it:  a heavy, well-built oak telephone bench with turned legs and a small storage compartment.  It had some nice detailed carving, too.

But the finish was pretty rough and scarred, so I haggled a little, and for $35 it was mine.  That's a bit more than I like to spend on a makeover piece, but I had a good feeling about this one.

Home to my basement studio it went, and I immediately painted it all over with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Pure White.

To make the carved detail stand out, I applied a coat of Paris Grey.  Then I used a bit of Duck Egg Blue to further bring out the carved medallions within the detail.

After the paint was thoroughly dry, I thinned down a dollop of Annie Sloan Dark Wax with some mineral spirits until it was the consistency of chocolate syrup, and I applied it to the piece using a natural-bristle paintbrush.

I brushed on wax in small sections and immediately buffed it off using an old cloth diaper.  Finally I applied a thin coat of clear wax.

And here you have the finished piece in all its made-over glory:

Arugula and Watermelon Salad

I really like recipes that are healthy.  And tasty.  And easy to make with just a few ingredients.  And economical.  And a little different.  And popular with my family.  That's not too much to ask is it?

This recipe is all of the above.  It's a great one to throw into the rotation when the family starts getting a little tired of the same old salad at dinner.  Or those times when you want something that looks fancy, but you just don't feel like making a fuss.

Kitchen Baskets

I began collecting wire baskets.  Some of them I bought at places like the Dollar Store and Wal-mart for a few bucks.  Some of them I picked up at the local thrift store for even fewer bucks.  Some were the wrong color and I hit them with a little spray paint.  (Oil-rubbed bronze to be specific.  Click here  to find out how much fun I had with that stuff.)

Then I began hanging these wire baskets on the wall of my kitchen nearest my cook top.





Now I enjoy the convenience of having many of the things I most often use in my cooking -- onions, garlic, peppers, potatoes, lemons and limes -- easily within my reach.  It's simpler for me to keep track of what I've got and what I need to replenish.  The food items, which do not require refrigeration, benefit from a little air circulation.  It's easy to see and remove anything that starts to look a little mushy.  The baskets are hygienic and easy to keep clean...

Honestly, need there be any better reason for mounting a wall of wire baskets in the kitchen?  Oh, here's one:  they're cute, too!  




It's really easy to do this.  Take any basket you want to mount on the wall, place a piece of masking tape along the top, and mark where you want the hangers to affix.  





Place the masking tape on your wall and adjust as needed.  Measure to make sure the marks are centered or positioned as you want them... hold up the basket and see if you like the way it looks in that spot...  use a level to ensure straight placement...  Basically, you can play around with the masking tape without marring your walls or driving yourself crazy.

Once you have everything positioned exactly the way you want it, then it's time to break out the hammer and nails.  Or if you prefer, use cup hooks.  They screw easily into the wall, and they hold the baskets a bit more securely than nails.

And voila!  Pretty and practical.

Here.  Have another look:

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