First, I hope every mother had a wonderful mothers day today.
I spent the day doing odds and ends around the house. It was great getting so much little stuff done in between TV breaks.
I have spent the last few weeks very enthusiastically planting to get a full cottage garden effect all around the house. Over the last week or so- the enthusiasm puttered out as the days got hotter. I gave myself props that my gardening was finished before it got too hot to plant...but today I learned how much water it takes to keep the garden looking healthy. I found so many wilted plants that I now think I might have to water everyday to keep my plantings alive this summer.
I also touch up painted the back door. BB painted it a nice bright red, but the white trim needed to be touched up. I got that done today.
I polished the hardwood floors. I use orange glow, and like the sheen it leaves behind. I hope it is healthy for my 90 yr old floors..I know todays hard wood is not the same as old hardwood was, and new wood products might damage old wood.
And the piece de resistance...I started on the pocket doors. BB and I got them working months ago- but a previous owner had slapped a coat of paint over them, also covering up the brass door locking mechanism with paint. I spent 2 hours today scraping the paint off the brass locks and am so proud of how they turned out. The 2 hours wasnt too bad. The doors divide the living room and dining room- so I listened to a few "House" episodes while I scraped.
Before:
After:
Overall a low spend day. Just picked up some tools at home depot that I thought I would need for the doors- and didn't even use them! A razor blade ended up being the best tool of all!
Oh, BBs mothers day gift was a bit spendy. Used 1-800-flowers to deliver a basket of sunflowers to BB's mom- $85.00!! And it wasn't a same day delivery! I booked this 3 days before delivery! I feel bad that BB's mom probably thinks we spent $30 based on the quality/quantity of the flowers- but that company is expensive and we spent way more than I really was prepared to spend. Oh well.
House projects on mothers day
May 11th, 2009 at 01:55 am
May 11th, 2009 at 02:19 am 1242008355
Plants take up water best in the morning before they really get to the business of photosynthesis. More precisely, during the first 1 hour after sunrise. If they lightly wilt in the late afternoon, then recover during dusk, means that you are doing a fairly good job of watering - just a bit more in the morning.
If you can, avoid watering the leaves, just hit the soil and the roots. Wet leaves sometimes provide a haven for pests. Try not to give your plants a shampoo and rinse.
May 11th, 2009 at 03:12 am 1242011521
I will be sticking to the watering can as I only have 1 faucet!!- and have a 10 ft hose attached to it. Anything larger is too heavy for me to manage. But my lot is tiny .15 acre- so it takes me 1/2 hr to water everything by watering can & 10ft hose.
And thank you for the pest tip. Didn't know that either.
May 11th, 2009 at 03:17 am 1242011846
May 11th, 2009 at 03:42 am 1242013332
Nice doors
May 11th, 2009 at 05:33 pm 1242063213
The doors look great!