I dusted all plantation shutters. The front of the house looks very neat and nice now, with matching shutters and curtains on all three windows.
Today while at the hardware store I stopped by its gardening center and bought 4 bags of garden soil. They were 50% off because the bags were ripped at the top. I also bought two Norfolk Island pines. I want to plant them in the front garden.
The other day I learned that the library has a seed collection. We can get 4 seed packets per month. I got watermelon, garden bean, mustard spinach and cilantro.
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| Free seed packets from the library. |
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| Laundry liquid. |
I fixed a shoe that had a ripped seam. I already have two black pairs, so I'm going to keep this pair in the office.
Bless at My Two Cents has a monthly decluttering goal (64 items in November), and I decided to join her. My target is 30 items. I mainly want to declutter book shelves, but I have other stuff also, especially in the spare room. That's where I keep "I have no need for this yet, but I might need it one day" stuff. While doing the weekly cleaning, I discarded 4 items.
- 1 plastic jug
- 1 mug
- 1 broken tea pot (I was keeping this to plant an aloe, but I already have three tea pots with aloes.)
- 1 small pitcher
My plan is to go though each room during the weekly cleaning and toss unwanted things into the trash bin, recycling bin, or 'donate' box. I also have a box labeled 'garage sale' because I want to have a garage sale and see if I can sell some of these things. But I don't want to have more than one box for garage sale items.
I finished Patricia Wentworth's The Key, and started reading the first volume of Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder. Stephenie at The Awakened Soul recommended it. I'm still in chapter 1, and am enjoying it.
On Friday evening we suddenly had a tornedo warning. Luckily I had just come home. It was extremely windy and one of the flower pots got toppled, but that's all. Later I learned that one of my friends had lost power for several hours. I read in the news that there had been four tornedo touch downs in the area and several houses had been damaged.
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| Rainy Friday evening. |
Other than the storm on Friday, the weather has been perfect. The mornings are cooler and I really like this weather. The next weekend is a long weekend because the college is closed on Monday for Veterans Day.
How was your week? What's the weather like in your area now?
Results of this week's to-do list:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5) Mend a pair of jeans.
6)
7) Do yoga. - Not done :(
8)
Tasks for the next week:
1) Plant Norfolk pine.
2) Plant seeds.
3) Cut curtain panels for the second window in the spare room.
4) Hang hummingbird feeders.
5) Mend a pair of jeans.
6) Clean two brass containers.
7) Do yoga.
8) Sleep 7 hrs.
XX
Nil
Hi Nil, What a find, free seeds! You did an excellent job on your shoe, too. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying the book. She was such a wonderful writer. I am reading Prairie Fires now, which is about her. The tone is totally different, but it is still fascinating. (although sad.) The weather here is gorgeous. I'm glad that you were safe during the tornado.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the book recommendation Stephanie. I think I will also read volume 2 if my library has it. :)
DeleteI am joining Bless and now you in decluttering this November. (Plus I have 6 houseguests coming in a week and a half so that is more than nudging me to get rid of unnecessary stuff too)
ReplyDeleteGreat getting the free seeds!
Yay!!! More company for decluttering. :) We can surely encourage one another. :)
DeleteHello Nil,
ReplyDeleteI like the selection of seeds that you chose :)
Well done for fixing your shoes,generally speaking shoes
are not made to last anymore so it is good when we can get more
wear out of them.
You made your Laundry liquid good for you,
I will be buying the soapnuts when I finish
what I am using so I will let you know how
I get on with them.
Good luck with your decluttering,I have done
some more recently and it feels good.
Hope this week's tasks go well for you.
Glad you were not affected by the Tornedo.
Our Weather yesterday was really wet and quite wild.
Today was dry and sunny,both days were really cold.
Take Care x
Hi Fiona, I'd love to hear about using soap nuts for laundry.
DeleteI didn't go to the health food store yet, so I couldn't check if they have soap nuts. :)
That is great that you can get free seeds. (And probably varieties that grow in your area.). Your yard is looking fabulous! It looks so much healthier than the pix when you first moved in. Glad the tornadoes stayed at bay. You do get the weather don't you?
ReplyDeleteAh weather here is a riot. Hurricane season is not officially over yet (it's until Nov 30th), so hopefully it will be a quiet month.
DeleteThat's wonderful that you were able to get free seeds from your library! And I'm very glad that you didn't have any damage from the tornadoes!
ReplyDeleteYou did have a productive week! I'm impressed with your laundry detergent making and shoe repair skills (in addition to sewing machine fixing)! :)
Well done on the decluttering and thank you for mentioning my blog. :)
I learn a lot from other blogs, Bless. And I think fixing is in my genes thanks to my dad. I was inspired to make liquid soap and bar soaps by reading blogs. Same is true for trying new recipes, gardening, and now decluttering .(thanks to you). :)
DeleteThe seed library is a brilliant idea. I always keep a look out for reduced price things at the garden centre, we have a pebbled area and there are often part open bags, always useful for when we need to top up.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear the tornado didn't bother you too much.
Garden soil is expensive, so it's always nice to find reduced prices. :)
DeleteIt is raining here, cold but not so windy (for once). I am glad you were not affected by the tornado. I imagine it quite terrifying begin caught in one. I have never made laundry detergent but I would love to make liquid soap for hand washing. I wonder if the process is similar?
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question on my blog: the flower you were wondering what it is is an Achillea. I think this particular one is the Moonshine variety. Here is a link to a (UK) website that shows several varieties. It is a hardy perennial and the flowers last for many weeks. https://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.achillea/sort.0/
Have a lovely week. x
Thank you for the link Christina. I'm looking for yellow flowers for my front garden and I prefer hardy perennials. According to what I read, Achillea (Yarrow) sounds ideal and it should grow in my area. I'm going to check if the nearby garden center carries them.
DeleteFree seeds are just wonderful! One of our local libraries has a community garden and a little box inside with tiny packets of seeds that can be taken home by library patrons. A source of free seeds is a fantastic resource! Glad the forecast tornadoes didn't come through your place, Nil. We are in the middle of a bit of a heatwave here, very hot today! MegXx
ReplyDeleteI hope you are staying cool, Meg. I read on Chel's blog how hot the weather in her area was.
DeleteThankfully it's cooling down here after months of hot muggy weather. :)
That was a good deal on the garden soil, Nil. I love that your library has the seeds to pick up. I would definitely be getting my 4 packets each month. I like the idea of having a number for your decluttering goal. I need to do my kitchen cabinets as they haven't been done in years. You did a great job on your shoe. I'm so glad you were safe from the tornados. So scary. I hope you have another great week and accomplish everything on your to do list. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope to pick up more seeds next month. :) They are suitable for this area, so I don't have to research. And the packets come with a sheet of instructions as well. It's very useful.
DeleteThat's super that your library has seeds! You've had an industrious week. Glad to see that you got your sleep, too!
ReplyDeleteYes, Priscilla. Finally my body decided that I need more sleep. So my goal is to sleep by 11 pm on weekdays. :)
DeleteWhat a wonderful find at the library. I wish ours did something like that. Are the seeds donated from local gardeners? You have inspired me to tackle the dusting and wiping of my plantation shutters. Maybe next week as this week is filling up fast!
ReplyDeleteHi Anita, the seeds are donated by the local women's club. I didn't even know there was a women's club in the area. :)
DeleteI like to open windows during cooler months, and it encouraged me to dust the shutters. :)
Free seeds are a great idea and I love your choices. I adore Cilantro.
ReplyDeleteOne of these days, surely either you or I will manage to do some yoga. X
Heheee I always start the week with good intentions, and somehow yoga falls to the bottom of the priority list. I hope you will be able to start doing yoga and most importantly continue it - unlike me. :)
Deleteooo lots of lovely busyness, Nil. Have to mention that Norfolk Island pines can grow to 65 metres tall, hopefully not overnight lol xx
DeleteYes Sue, I also saw that on a website. One of my neighbors has one, and it's still about 8 feet tall. I want two tall trees for shade. But not too tall. 😊
DeleteYou've been very productive Nil, I wonder if the cooler weather helps with that. I know it does for me, hard to get motivated when it's hot and humid. Like Chel and Meg, we've been copping the hot weather too, but cooler today, thank goodness. My library has a huge collection of free seeds, and there's no limit on what you can take. I think most of my garden is from library seeds....such a great resource. I saw your conversation above about growing hardy perennials. You could try coreopsis, it has beautiful bright yellow flowers and is really hardy, and self propagates. I bought 3 small plants 2 summers ago, have transplanted them twice and then they were drowned in the flood and covered in a couple of metres of mud.....and now make a wonderful display in my front garden. They've survived just on rainwater too, I don't water them I'll take a pic for you.
ReplyDeleteOh Thank you Nanette for the suggestion. I looked it up. It's very beautiful. I'll add both yarrow and coreopsis to my list. :)
DeleteI hope you are staying cool. I think you are right, I feel more energetic now as the weather changes. 😊
Nil, our council gives out two potted plant vouchers with our rate notices. It is great that they do that like with your library. Glad you were okay in the tornado. We are halfway through four days of heatwave conditions. Our house is like an oven.
ReplyDeleteHere we can request a free plant from the city (they have a list) and they even come and plant it for you. But then you have to report its progress. That's too much work for me. LOL. I prefer free seeds with no strings attached.
DeleteWhen we lived in VA, there was a seed exchange at the local library from time to time. We never had any need to obtain more as we had enough for our small garden. And, now that we are apt-dwellers we absolutely have no need for seeds. But great that you were able to get them from your library, Nil. We do go to the farmer's market weather permitting, but of course living in New England now we will not be doing that until late spring/early summer again. That said, we are having an indoor farmer's market until at least early Dec and lots of root veggies are available. Good for you on being so handy in repairing shoes and making laundry soap. Glad the bad weather didn't affect your home or yard or you. We've had rainy and gusty winds the past 2 weekends, but no snow (yet).
ReplyDeleteI love farmer's markets. It's great that you have an indoor market during winter. I'm sure they sell freshest veggies right from nearby farms.
DeleteHere most farmer's markets are not really so. Vendors sometimes sell produce grown in other states and even in other countries. It's hard to find authentic farmer's markets.
A new home owner, and you are already de-cluttering!!! Wonnnnnnnnnderful! Keep this up, and you will be so very happy!
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to de-clutter. No matter how much gets done, there is always more. -sigh- Seems endless. But can't keep that attitude!!!! ,-)
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I have a tendency to collect stuff for 'future craft projects' . :) And I keep adding more projects and then things pile up. So once in a while my hoarder self turns into a declutterer. :)
DeleteSo pleased you didn't have any ill effects from the tornado Nil.
ReplyDelete
DeleteThank you Pauline. 😊