Spring Planting, Bedroom Closet Remodel, Working From Home, Northern Heart's 5 Best Ways To Handle Coronavirus Anxiety & Isolation & Stay Positive

Cabbages and Butter Lettuce

Spring Planting-
We've had our cold frame for several years and we usually plant summer veggies like collard greens and kale there. Given the state of the world I decided to plant some spring, cool weather crops. Here's the seeds I bought this weekend, all non GMO-

With 30's in the forecast at night, we tucked everything under a new row cover. I tucked in the 2 lettuces before the birds ate them!

Being resilient and adaptable we decided to tear out our low production/old Raspberries row and our one Marion berry plant along the low fence- 

I let the hens out and they had a blast digging in the bed!

The ground was soft after the rain so Dave ripped them all out for composting with the city. We will plant something else in the space, possibly things like carrots and radishes. We will probably reconfigure more rows going south/north and plant more new berries. The East/West rows didn't do as well as the one North/South Blackberries we kept. Haven't decided what kind of berries to plant yet. It's always good to look at what works and what doesn't! We love having a supply of berries that can be eaten fresh or that we can freeze.

Bedroom Closet Remodel-
Originally when we moved into the house 13 years ago we added these wire racks to all the bedroom closets-

They were good for clothes and shoes, but not all the other things I needed to store eventually after the kids moved out-

Stuff partially pulled out

I had the thought to tear the wire rack out, add 2 rods for Dave and my off-season clothes and crafts/decor stuff. I helped him measure and came up with this-

Tape's a great way to mark things!

Dave bought the rods, brackets, nails and 3/4" particle board. All of this was about $35.00. I made the management decision to not paint the closet knowing the walls wouldn't show much anyway. I had bigger fish to fry. Here's how it went, took everything out first, then taped-

  

My nice metal cart went to use in the living room for a charging station & storage

Next Dave started adding the supports, adding 1" x 4" furring strips-

Next adding the shelves-

Adding the rods, upper for Dave, lower for me, as he's taller!

 All done!

Anya had to inspect, of course!

I hung up the clothes, sorted and filled the shelves!

Bedding on the top-

Extra decor-

Craft supplies-

Fabrics and wrapping papers/bags-

It took about 4 hours and was well worth it, and I got my bedroom back!

Working From Home-
I was surprised when my boss texted me out of the blue this weekend asking if I had wireless in our house (we do). First thing Monday morning I got an email that I would be set up work from home "temporarily", along with some other staff. They'll provide the hardware.  I suspect this will be ongoing for quite some time. I'd actually love to work from home to avoid the Corona bug, be able to open windows, get some fresh air, not have to listen to overly chatty co-workers. People sometimes don't realize how loud they can be! And kitty Anya can keep me company. I'll save money commuting, less wear and tear on the car, sitting in traffic, contributing to air pollution. Our work load has slowed down considerably, so I won't have to drive to work and potentially turn around and go home a bit later. All in all not a bad move for me. I'll move my PC from the kitchen to another part of the house and work there. More coming soon!

From Allthingsgreen.nu/

Northern Heart's 5 Best Ways To Handle Coronavirus Anxiety, Isolation & Stay Positive-
I stumbled onto Maria from Northern Heart on Youtube a few months ago. I loved her videos! She's an incredible photographer and person. She's lives in a remote Swedish village, is fluent in English, and brutally honest about her life and is very inspiring to me. She has a lot of chronic health issues, many documented in her videos. I love this new video, watch and get to know Maria!!!

The author of the poem, "And The People Stayed Home", Kitty O'Meara is profiled here, she is an ex-chaplain Kitty O'Meara Interview  And just look around for something to wonder at-

From Gratefulness.org

Happy Summer Solstice!!! Here Comes The Sun

Image from Telegraph.co.uk

Happy Summer Solstice!!!

I woke up to 42 degrees this morning, but yes, it's the longest day of the year!  Here's how it all work!

Image from Indystar.com

And for a little entertainment- James Taylor did a tribute to the famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma, whom he had recorded this cover with on Yo-Yo Ma's 2008 album Songs Of Joy & Peace. This video is from when he was awarded the  Presidential Medal of Freedom. Just lovely and a very different take than the original! If you look close you can see actress Anne Hathaway moved to tears! 

Utah Road Trip, Ikea and Park City Visit, Free Autumn Printables

Utah Road Trip-
Well it's great to be back home but I'm happy to say we just took a road trip! Dave and I were really needing a vacation since we haven't had one in several years. We didn't want to drive to Portland or  the Oregon coast since it was too far. I came up with the idea to go to Salt Lake City since it's only about a four and a half hour drive from here and there is an Ikea! I also discovered there's a wonderful University of Utah science museum with tons of huge dinosaur bones! I always loved paleontology. I think it's a great field and they have a wonderful multi level, state-of-the-art museum. We left Saturday morning and came back Monday afternoon. I took Tuesday off work to unpack, get groceries, do laundry, etc. It was nice to have the extra day off.

We went to the University of Utah first Saturday afternoon after we got into town. I will say it's  one of the most beautiful campuses I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. Just gorgeous buildings and landscaping right up against the mountains. We went through the exhibits which included Native American history in the area and of course the dinosaur bones. Here's a few shots-

It was really cool that they had a lab open where you could see the scientists working on their current bones-

I bought a gorgeous, heavy paper botanical print for $5.00 at the gift shop! I'll get a frame locally-

After that we met one of Dave's work buddies and took a tour of the office where he trained. We went out to dinner after that and crashed early. We got a great deal on a hotel S. of SLC, nice.

My autumn craft in a steel Ikea plant pot

Ikea and Park City Visit-

Sunday morning we went out to breakfast and then took my long list to Ikea. I got their yearly catalog in the mail and that helped me look to see what I might use, and could afford. It's been impossible to find apple green bath towels like the ones we bought at Ikea. Ours were about 5 years old and really needed to be replaced. When we went I was told that color was being discontinued, but luckily I was able to score some. I bought bath towels and washcloths but they were out of hand towels. Luckily I went to Ikea.com and bought some there. We should be good for another four or five years! Here's a rundown, with photos from Ikea, unless otherwise noted-

I love their towels as they really hold up and you won't end up with 10 lb. of lint in the dryer each time you wash them. Nice and soft! 

Bought 2 steel plant pots, 1 above w/cotton branches and moss from Hobby Lobby, $4.00-

I bought some other miscellaneous things, a big purchase was a new medicine cabinet with a mirror for our small bathroom. Our medicine cabinet is about 10 or more years old and it's getting pretty funky looking. I've repaired it a few times but it was time to replace it. Ikea had the best price and perfect size for over my sink. The master bath is actually just a half bath which is where it will go, great deal, $89.00-

I'll add an new knob

I also got a solid wood step stool, I may add some blue blanket stripes, $20.00-

A  lot of people "hack" them, my fave is this-

From Pinterest, couldn't find link to post, cute paint!

Other items were a large gorgeous embroidered, Swedish country folk art pillow, $25.00, my real splurge!

For winter a faux sheepskin throw for my desk chair, $15.00-

New duvet cover-

A kids step stool for grand boys, fits perfect under our Ikea master bath cabinet, $4.00-

The other items for miscellaneous kitchen supplies, $7.00 for instant thermometer-

I stocked up on some dry goods in their food section, Lingon berry juice, etc. to bring home.

Sunday afternoon we went to Park City, a gorgeous ski are. Home to the SLC Winter Olympics! Sadly I did not see Robert Redford. We did get to see the large ski runs off in the distance. Some closer shots of the other runs-

Autumn colors starting!

We had a great time, relaxed, saw some sights, shopped and spent some quality time together. Perfect trip for 3 days!

Free Autumn Printables-

There's a touch of Autumn in the air and I found these cute prints! Apples Eucalyptus Free Fall Printable   and Never Met A Pumpkin... I printed mine above and fit in an existing frame. I like it!!!