Awaiting Buds

Spring Actually

This is the first year, since living in the Twin Cities, that spring has arrived "on time." In previous years, spring did not occur until mid-May. There has been lots of sun, but still a bit nippy and windy. I'm hoping that the weather will stay this way for a while (I'm fine with rain so long as it doesn't turn into snow).

Anyhow, I wanted to share pictures of some tulips growing in my backyard. I planted them late last winter, not in early fall as one is supposed to, hoping that they might bloom that spring. They never sprung last spring and I thought that the squirrels got to them. Well, spring turned into summer, and summer into fall, and fall into winter. Lo and behold, was I surprised to find these pushing through the barely thawed ground. How awesome is Mother Nature?

Window Boxes

I’ve been thinking of ways to spruce up the exterior of my new home (I promise I'll post pictures once I'm done). I like what I’ve done with the interior of the home so far (or at least working with what was in existence at the time I purchased the home), while trying to stay within my budget. With spring around the corner (I can’t wait), my thoughts are now turning toward what I can do to the outside of the home and how I can turn my garden dreams into a reality.

So, I’ve been thinking about building and installing window boxes on some of my windows. I think window boxes would bring more curb appeal to my home, definitely make the home more charming, and would allow me to extend my gardening to my home. The images found on Google makes window box gardening very enticing, although I’m concerned that I have to drill holes into the exterior of the home to attach the window boxes—which is something I’m not too fond of. Maybe, I’ll just stick to regular container gardening and place the containers outside of the windows. I’ll post later as to what I intend to do. For the mean time, what do you think?

Downtown Houston

[Houston, Texas, taken on February 5, 2010]

Craftin' Mood

I've been in a crafting mood lately. And I mean CRAFTING (I blame it on the weather). As of late, I've rediscovered old woolen sweaters and the many projects to turn these sweaters into something felted (e.g. felted hat, felted mittens, felted booties).

To felt woolen sweaters (or anything made with at least 65% wool), I washed the sweaters in hot water and dried the sweaters in hot heat. Looking on the internet, I came across this pattern for baby booties (http://www.heatherbaileydesign.com/BittyBooties.pdf) and decided to make a pair. I can't believe it, but I made the booties (hand-sewn) within a couple of hours, including blanket stitching around the top of the booties. I want to add some embellishments to the shoes, but I need think what would make the shoes look cuter without posing a choking hazard. Drop me a note as to what you think.

I plan to give this pair to my sister, who just gave birth to a little boy. I also plan to make another pair for my other sister, who is also expecting a boy.

Happy (Belated) New Year

It is a bit late, considering that it's already February, but it's still not too late to wish everyone a happy new year.

January was BUSY!!! First, I was very sick (caught the flu or something right after Christmas) and was trying to nurse myself back to good health. I actually had a fever that went up to 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, I still have a cough and scratchy throat that just won't go away. Hopefully, I can get rid of the cough by the end of this month.

Second, my cousin passed away. He was still relatively young, but he was obese and a heavy smoker. I didn't know that he had been hospitalized 2 to 3 times as of October 2009. When I was told that he might pass away, I hurried to the hospital, despite my own sad state of health (hacking cough, sore throat, inability to talk other than whisper). When I arrived at the hospital, he was in a somewhat comatose-like state of mind. I was told that he could hear me, but could not respond. I took that time to say my last words to him and I hope that he was able to hear what I said.

Lastly, I learned that an aunt living in Laos passed away. She left behind two little girls, a six-year-old and a three-month-old. My mom brought up the idea of someone in our family adopting these little girls. Given the economic circumstances and personal affairs of everyone in my family, I was the the only person who could adopt these girls. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I would like to adopt these girls and how I could go about making it happen. In talking with a friend (who specializes in immigration law) and having done some research, I realized that I am not able to adopt these girls. Since this would be an international adoption, it would require that I go through an adoption agency, which is very expensive (even for one child) and I didn't even have the funds to pay the initial fees.

To say the very least, I'm feeling a bit blue and dejected. I'm hoping for a happier month to come, but I hope you understand why I haven't had time to write.

It's a Little Late . . .

Snow. Snow. Snow. That's what I've been thinking about lately. Yesterday was the first day that the Midwest actually saw snow. Yes, a couple of days before that there were sprinkles of snow (which would've melted easily had the weather warmed up a bit), but yesterday and today we actually got at least a foot of snow. I actually had to shovel the sidewalk this morning. This is the latest that we've gotten snow and I think that Mother Nature has spoiled us a bit.

I'm Moving

Yes, I am moving.

I am very, very sad to be leaving my little house in the city, but I found myself a nice lake house (the picture shows the lake view I have from my home). It's quite a distance from the Twin Cities and does need some fixing up. I finally closed on the home earlier this week and have started getting bids on several things that need to be addressed. I've also started moving some of my belongings into the home too.

Overall, I'm happy with the property and I'm more than willing to put in a lot of sweat equity. I hope that in the spring you all can come out and join me for a swim at my new home.

Happy Halloween!!!

I love All Hallows Eve, also known as Halloween. I love dressing up in costume (yes, even as I get older), taking the little ones trick-or-treating, and of course handing out candy to the witches and ghouls that come a knocking. Tonight I only had 6 trick-or-treaters come by, but they made my night.

I wish everyone a wonderful, safe, and happy Halloween.

Changes

I have much going on in my life right now and it’s been a struggle to not be distracted and to be positive. Yes, I know all of the cliché lines about being positive (e.g. “Every cloud has a silver lining;” “After a storm comes a clam;” “Keep your head above water;” etc.), and I do keep them at the back of my head, but at some point I just can’t help but worry and be negative.

As of late (meaing the last couple of years), I like having some kind of stability in my life and knowing that I have some control over my life. Lately, I feel out of control and I'm trying to learn to live with several uncertainties that are coming my way. I feel very impatient, probably because I don't know what will be happening to me. Anyhow, I don't mean to be this vague and to come off as a "control freak." There are a lot of changes going on right now and I'm feeling very helpless.