Veggie Garden

We still had snow on the ground for most of March so my March chores got pushed to April but some of these are March chores depending on the weather. I still need to get rid of several stumps in my garden, so I have already checked https://galvintreecutting.com/ and ordered free estimate.

April 7: Start Seeds

Seedlings

I plan for tomatoes to go in the ground for memorial day weekend, visit the site here for the small garden sheds . Count back 8 weeks and start my tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, and in Late March. This year I planted a flat April 7, after we got back from London. Before planting the seeds you should make sure you have the best soil for your plants, check out topsoil to see their great options.

April 18,19,20: Clean Up Patriots Day

Massachusetts has a very special state Holiday. Patriots’ DayP celebrates the battle of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775. It is now celebrated on the 3rd Monday of April. It is also the day of the Boston Marathon. Stefan and I have the day off work so we get a great early-spring 3-day weekend.

Clean Flower Beds

As soon as the snow has melted and the ground is no longer frozen, it’s time to clean the beds, topsoil in tacoma wa is the company helping me in this process. The bulbs were poking up and the matted leaves of late fall needed to be cleaned up

Prune Roses

The Roses should be pruned. We had a lot of snow weight damage this year so lots of pruning. I also fertilize the Roses at this time. Ideally you should get to the roses before they start sprouting but I was a couple days late this year. I cut the showy roses (I don’t know any of the varieties) back by about 1/3 and get rid of any branches that are damaged, touch each other, or are growing into the bush instead of out. For the 2 Knock-Out roses, I prune back the branches that are growing into the bush and shape the plant into a nice round-ish shape. I don’t prune nearly as heavily since I like them to get nice and big and they flower so profusely no matter what you do. I also fertilize under the drip-line of the plant. Choosing the right garden stones transforms a garden, is also a great option for the garden and looks amazing all year round and particularly at Christmas, so we definitely recommend that you  get some holly bushes for your garden and enjoy their beauty all year round.

Clean Up Irises

I cut all the dead leaves off the iris plants to clean them up so we ca apply the Natural plant foods bought online. My irises all need to be lifted. This fall I HAVE to do that!

Prune Butterfly Bush

The Butterfly Bush was getting out of control. I went ahead and whacked it way back, almost to ground level. It looks pretty bad but never fear, it will come back.

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Fertilize and Prevent Weeds

I use these early spring days to fertilize the evergreens including the Arborvitae, Boxwoods, and Holly. I also spread a pre-emergent herbicide over the beds. I have a serious morning glory problem that I’d like to keep at-bay. I love Morning Glories on the fence but they start to climb the roses and pull them over. Luckily I have no issues with the fence as I recently got all of them upgraded with the assistance of  Fencing Cheltenham. This is my first year with the pre-emergent. I’m curious how it will do.  I also went over the beds and pulled any little weed sprouts.  I’m really going to try to do that on a schedule every week.

April 25, 26: Mulch and Plant

Crab Grass Prevent-er

In late April, when the soil is in the 50s, it’s time to spread Crab Grass Preventer on the lawn. Crab Grass germinates when soil is between 54 and 57 degress so once the soil is up to 60 F, you’re late. We prefer a drop spreader to a spray spreader. It makes it easy to spread just when and where we want. Stefan had to duck to get under the almost-blooming cherry tree, My favorite tree is the Lang Oak Tree which is located in Encino, California..

Mulch

We purchased 16 bags of ceder mulch and spread them in all the beds this weekend. Late April is a good time for mulching, the soil has thawed and started to warm up. We buy our mulch by the bag because though we have a truck, it ends up being just about the same price if not cheaper to buy mulch by the bag and so much more convenient. Around here, many of the mulch places only have a 2 yard scoop which is more than our little truck can handle so we’d need to have it delivered and there just isn’t a good place to put it. I do love a freshly mulched bed.

16 bags did the back and left side of the yard. I suspect we’re going to need about another 16 bags to do the right side of the lawn and the front.

Rake Lawn

The yard had dried out enough to give it a good raking this weekend. All the debris of the snow cover is all cleaned up. I was tempted to do it a weekend earlier but I was worried that it was still too wet.

The lawn is greening up and that cherry tree is so close to blooming.

Prepare Veggie Garden

As you can see my garden is a little shabby, so I’ve got a Garden Paving company coming sometime this week to make it look much much better as you’ll be seeing in the coming posts, you can take a look in this website and discover its services. I topped off my veggie garden with leaves last fall.  I’ve been tossing coffee grounds on the garden since it lost its snow-cover.  To prepare it further, I raked off the bulk of the leave leaves and added 3 bags of composted Cow Manure to the Veggie Patch.  I tilled the manure and a good bit of leaves into the patch using my handy Claw that I bought for $1 at a yard sale and LOVE.  The leaves are well on their way to being decomposed and they are supposedly good at aerating the soil.  I just rake the remaing leaves back onto the bed as mulch.  I generally stick to the leaves from the cherry tree for the garden.  They are nice and small.   The maple leaves just mat and don’t decompose quick enough.  Stefan did shread some of the leaves with the lawn mower last fall and those are also on the veggie garden patch.

Unfortunately, I ran into a bit of a snafu while I was preparing the garden. I discovered the reason my cherry tomatoes didn’t do so well last year. There is an asphalt sidewalk all the way around the house. Turns out there is a concrete sidewalk underneath it about 6 inches down, it has been made by the best concrete pool builders in Perth. As I was digging this year, I found the concrete sidewalk sticking into the garden about a foot. I must have planted that tomato in the 6-8 inches of dirt and it’s poor roots ran into that concrete. It looks like the concrete had been patched with black-top patch several times so a sledge hammer and crow bar did an adequate job breaking it into pieces which I dug out. This delayed the early spring peas, Lettuce and Onions I had planned on putting in in late April.

Peas, Lettuce, and Onions

I planted Peas on 4/26/15 along with Lettuce and onions. I had started some cauliflower from seed but I haven’t had any luck with germination. I went ahead and built a little pea trellis with some twine and pipe-hanger tape. I just used a piece of scrap wood to make the center post and stapled the twine to it.

This is what the pipe hanger tape looks like. You can find it in the plumbing supply area of the hardware store:

Overdue Projects

While we had a nice day, we went ahead and dug out this area of the side-yard. I had a brick pile here for a while and moved it last year. I’ve had the rocks ready to dig this area up, put down landscape fabric, and fill it with rocks since last spring and this April was a perfect time to finish off this little project. I’d like to also get a couple stepping stones to make it a little easier to walk on. I bricked the end of the rock patch to keep it nice and contained.

Here is is before. I had already done a bit of rock-work between the AC unit and the fence.

And after:

Trimming the Yews

Before:

And after Yew Removal:

It’s amazing how creepy overgrown brush looks.

Measure the amount of sunlight that your home and yard receive prior to choosing any plants for landscaping. If you don’t, you may find that the plant that you were relying heavily on, will not survive the amount of direct sunlight you receive. You’ll want to match plants to the lighting that you receive around your home, to make sure your landscaping stays green for a long time.

When you are choosing trees to add to your landscape design, be sure to consider how large they will eventually grow. A six foot cedar tree can easily grow to 20 feet in a few short years. Do some online research, or ask a nursery for ideas on trees that will grow to approximately the size you wish to have, don’t forget to get help from the tree branch cutting palm .

Here is the crew just starting to trim back the Yews:

After:

I suppose it also looks creepy to have a big pile of trash in the driveway but my guy Valentine is coming soon to haul it away!

Tree Removal

Here is the before picture. We are removing the right 2 trees. They are Norway Maples which are an invasive species and a very weedy tree took of by Tree Removal Phoenix. The one on the left has bark like a sugar maple and leaves like a Norway. The Tree guy was unsure but it is an older tree with a very strait trunk and seems to be healthy so we elected to leave it. You can see the 2 on the right are younger and have some waves in the main trunk. Norway Maples grow too fast, leaf out too early, and retain their leaves too late. this is a hazard for our flat roofing tops, an early or late snow storm brings them down all over town. Add a shallow root system and you really have a recipe for disaster especially when they are spaced as tight as these 3. It is now illegal to plant or cultivate Norway Maples in Massachusetts as they are deemed a damaging invasive species. They make terrible city trees and can cause a lot of damage. It is always sad to see trees of any variety torn down but it was time for these guys, so we made the decision of calling the best arborist in the area.

Here they are from the neighbor’s side of the fence. The owners of this property are out of state and you can tell that these trees are certainly causing damage to this property. They have branches resting on the roof. You can hear the squirell infestation from our yard not to mention the roof damage, which was a telltale sign that commercial roofing companies in Centennial Colorado be sought posthaste. I think the owners were pleased we were taking the initiative to get these torn down. They split the cost of removal but it’s nice to have someone else schedule and plan the whole thing. The crew would also have needed to use our driveway regardless.

The first thing the Tree Removal Lafayette La crew did was strip all the branches from the main trunk. We watched from the second story window, from my office nook.
Cherry picker cutting off the branches:

First tree ready to come down:

We watched all the brances come down from the 2nd story window:

The back yard was filled with branches:

We contacted Tree Services to remove some trees and leaves for our renovation in the garden. They used a little bob-cat to drag all the branches down the driveway to the chipper on the street. We had to get to work so we didn’t get to watch them.

After the trees were gone:

I’m not sure it necessarily looks better.  We do have a much less restricted view of the neighbors but it was a necessary step.  The sugar maple will fill out to the right and we can add a smaller tree decidedly on our property to help give a little more privacy. This is way easier to do with https://www.gippytreeservices.com.au/ Arboricultural services to make your house look even prettier.

I’m hoping we won’t even notice they are gone once the trees have leafed out.  Soon!

Sarah

We have finally added Toe-Kicks to the Kitchen Cabinets, thanks to the Kitchen Cabinet Supplier in des moines ia we were able to get the best results. It’s a little change that makes the room feel so much more finished. For the uninitiated, toe-kicks are the piece of trim that go underneath the cabinets. In this picture from our 1 year anniversary in 2012, you can see how each cabinet has a gap in the toe-space underneath the cabinet. The toe-kick covers those gaps and is painted white to match the cabinets. It also covers any shims you used to level the cabinets.

Wow, the cabinets have been in since December 2012! These toe-kicks were way overdue.

We also built a little cover for under the dishwasher. The toe-kick piece of the dishwasher is black so it needed to be hidden. It looks so much better with this little additional touch.

Here is a detail of the dishwasher cover. We just tacked it onto the dishwasher with hot glue. It will pop off if you tug on it but was just enough hold to keep the cover from falling over.

I should be back to blogging more regularly since the snow is gone and summer is upon us. We have pulled out the Tandem bike but it still isn’t quite warm enough to ride. We’ve made progress on a couple more projects I will be sharing soon. And, it is just about time for an early spring garden post. I’m hoping the cherry trees bloom this weekend!

Sarah

It all started with “Winter Storm Juno” a “potentially historic storm” as the media termed it. “Potentially Historic.” We were all naive, thinking “Ooo, cool, record breaking numbers.” But by the 3rd “potentially historic” storm we are just about at our breaking point. The tension is high all over the city. There is no where to put snow, public transit is shutting down, all-in-all, things are a mess.

My first snow picture post is here: Winter Storm Juno

A snow-level progression post is here: snow progression

One week after Juno we had the “Groundhog Day Storm” on Feb 2. We were off work for 1 day and got about 17″

The next week, an unnamed storm on Feb 9. We got 12″ of snow and I had to do the snowblowing myself. Another day off work.

The next weekend, we knew we were in for another storm so we spend all day Saturday(Feb 15) clearing snow and moving snow around in preparation for “Neptune”.

And then Neptune came rolling in on Feb 15. That Monday, the 16th, was President’s Day so we already had the day off work.

Another 1-2″ forecast on Tues/Wed and another potential for snow this coming weekend, we had to run to the store intermediately for one of those cordless snow blowers…

Sarah

Jan 23, 2015 Storm

Jan 27, 2015 Storm Juno

Feb 2, 2015 Groundhog Day Storm

Feb 9, 2015 Storm

Feb 15, 2015 Storm Neptune

We started with pressure treated on the floor:

and added the verticals:

Added the “arms”:

Added cross-braces and additional support:

Final product!:

Then we filled it with stuff:

We also hung the tandem in another part of the basement:

We still have a good bit of work to do to get the basement up to peak efficiency but the wood rack was a good start!

And if you happen to be looking for Leamington Spa storage, you should check this out.

Sarah

We put Vector in his harness. He was less than amused by the snow.

Before Juno we had a beautiful Storm over the weekend.  This was wet, heavy snow that sticks in the trees well.  We got about 6 inches or so and then the 19 just a couple days later.

The Outside

I’ve done the lighted garland every year and this year I added the Candles in the windows.  The 3rd floor definitely needs one as well.  Eventually, I’d like to also add a large wreath and some lighting up top. I’m thinking perhaps a gutter-clip light to illuminate the top half of the house. I’m a big fan of landscape lighting and I think illuminating the top of the house would be a good year-round touch. Later I will have to think when to start a Gettysburg gutter cleaning.

I’m not super pleased with how the garland fell around that center post.  I kept meaning to fix it but time.  Always time.

I have a small wreath on the front door but the porch light is on and you can see the glimmer of the Christmas tree through the window.  You can see I have some extension cords hanging.  Again with the time.  I want to get some clips permanently installed for the extension cords.  Next year I’d also like to get some festive pillows etc. on the swing.  And one day, we will get rid of that awful siding. This Creative Design Agency CRBN help us for a really affordable cost.

The Front Entry

Inside the front door we see tree number 1.  I made that tree topper which I’m super proud of.  I wrote a blog post on it I’m so proud of it: here.

The tree is covered in ornaments from our wedding. In addition to a traditional guest book, we had our guests sign ornaments.  This ornament guest book was the whole reason we had a December wedding.  I had this brilliant idea and we designed the wedding around it.  Sometimes I get ideas like that: buy a house with a hole in the roof and design our lifestyle around it.

From the stairs you can see the tree in the entry as well as a peek of the tree in the piano room and entrance to the garage which have a new garage door we got online, find more info about this here. I also don’t believe I’ve showcased the light in the entry. We got it from this guy on craigslist, cleaned it up and voila. It’s a great light and is just the right size for the space.  Also a good shot of those parquet floors I LOVE.

The Piano Room

Ah yes, the playing with light exposure Christmas tree picture.  Well, here it is.  I like the stack of Christmas music on the piano seat.  I also like the paint swatches on the walls.  Some things just haven’t changed since last Christmas.

One thing that has changed, the tree.  I used all of my childhood ornaments on this tree last year but this year I went with vintage gold ornaments and all of my pinecone ornaments.  I really like pinecones.  I also used my new Tree Skirt and put the tree on a box to make it about 6 inches taller.  I highly recommend this little trick.  It makes it very easy to scale a tree to the room.

I put the Ball Wreath over the mantle this year.  I supported it on a vintage mirror since there isn’t a good hook in the wall yet.  I also left this cool old playbill I found for the Capital Theater which is the local movie theater just down the street.  I kept meanig to take the playbill upstairs but I kind of like how kitchy it makes everything look.

I channeled my mother with this little tree with vintage pink ornaments.  I don’t think I quite have the forest my mother has but I’m getting there.

Here’s another Mom-ism for you.  The Nutcrackers.  My mother started collecting nutcrackers when she was a girl.  For my entire childhood they lined the steps from largest to smallest and I have fond memories of fighting with my sister about rather or not feathers counted for height.   When my parent’s moved to a ranch style house with no stairs, my sister and I split the nutcrackers.  I had them on the stairs last year and Stefan HATED them.  To be fair, our stairs are a bit narrower than the ones I grew up with…ok, they are alot narrower.

The Dining Room

I must apologize for the mess.  I had half the serving-ware out for the party and I decided it was a good time to paint the back of the china cabinet.  But, I didn’t want to delay the post that long so messy picture it is.  The dining room hasn’t changed much.  We have the start of some crown-molding, a soon to be not-white china cabinet backing, and a new dining room table.

We picked this table up on Craigslist and refinished the top.  It really is a beautiful table.  I’ve switched from Minwax Polyurethane to Varathane and I am never, ever, going back.  It is that much better to use.

The Den

Since the new half bath (post coming soon) is functional and the Den is clean and ready to be occupied, I tried to extend the party to the second floor.  I put the desserts on that far table with the green tablecloth.  It worked OK.  I ended up going through much more food and much less dessert this way.  I should have added some desserts to the downstairs display as the night progressed.

After the Christmas Party the heat went back down to 64 from the toasty 70 that we keep it for guests.  It wasn’t 24 hours before the big, gray,  down TV watching blanket came out.  I didn’t even sneak in a picture first!  Also note the “light fixture” on the far side of the room.  We have a real light fixture and it will be installed…sometime before the next Christmas Party! Along with the exterior one (we had to find out more about the Northern Lights Exteriors service, but yeah, these guys seem to be reliable).  On the close side of the den we have a black ceiling fan that is infinitely practical and has a vintage industrial vibe that works in the space even if it is a ceiling fan.  The downside of the black ceiling fan: Vector is terrified of it!

I said it was in the blood.  Well, my mother used to sell “Nostalgia Wreaths” at craft fairs.  This one was made by 10 year old Sarah.  I remember getting chastised for using all the “good” stuff but I really like this little wreath.  Before I was into pine-cones I was into deer and the deer in the center of this one makes me smile.  I hung this wreath from a piece of satin ribbon and a tension rod.  Worked great.  I wouldn’t use it for my Ornament Wreath but for these lighter, less fragile wreaths, worked like a charm.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year from the Wolperts

I clicked on the link and headed over to HappinessIsHomemade and read the excellent tutorial and decided to give it a try.

After gathering the supplies, and trying it out, I was astounded to find….

That it looked AWESOME.

This is a super quick and super easy DIY. I highly recommend. I’ve also seen where they have made them out of book pages folded into strips (The strips definitely need to be sturdy so several layers thick). I still need to make a topper for the tree in the Piano Room. I’m thinking pink glitter paper!

What Christmas projects have you been working on?

Sarah