Spring is Right Around the Corner

You will remember a couple months ago we talked about bulb planting and I shared with you that I planted numerous flowering bulbs in a variety of pots and left them on the dining table on the deck.  (See "A Table Full of Spring Bulbs" posted on 1/10/2013).  Well, we are now seeing the results of that planting .  I was amazed at how much of the bulbs have begun to make their way through the soil.  This little pot is the most hearty of them all.

Here, another pot is releasing a tulip or daffodil.  I'm not sure which.  I planted a melange of bulbs of different types in different colors.  I did not label each pot with what was planted because I enjoy the mystery of not knowing what will emerge.
 

This poor pink pot has not survived the few really cold days we've had.  I was disheartened to see this but not defeated.  It will take some careful attention, but this planting can be moved to a new clay pot.  We will save the remnants of the pink pot and break them into smaller pieces to be used over the drainage hole in the bottom of other planters.

I hope you had a chance to get some bulbs planted in the fall, whether in pots or in the earth.  They bring beautiful color and, in some instances, fragrance to beautiful spring days. 

Spring is Right Around the Corner

You will remember a couple months ago we talked about bulb planting and I shared with you that I planted numerous flowering bulbs in a variety of pots and left them on the dining table on the deck.  (See "A Table Full of Spring Bulbs" posted on 1/10/2013).  Well, we are now seeing the results of that planting .  I was amazed at how much of the bulbs have begun to make their way through the soil.  This little pot is the most hearty of them all.

Here, another pot is releasing a tulip or daffodil.  I'm not sure which.  I planted a melange of bulbs of different types in different colors.  I did not label each pot with what was planted because I enjoy the mystery of not knowing what will emerge.
 

This poor pink pot has not survived the few really cold days we've had.  I was disheartened to see this but not defeated.  It will take some careful attention, but this planting can be moved to a new clay pot.  We will save the remnants of the pink pot and break them into smaller pieces to be used over the drainage hole in the bottom of other planters.

I hope you had a chance to get some bulbs planted in the fall, whether in pots or in the earth.  They bring beautiful color and, in some instances, fragrance to beautiful spring days. 

Kids' Rock by Tim Hawkins

My nephew shared this YouTube video with me that last time I visited him back during the Christmas season.  I thought it was hilarious, especially the song sung by Alanis Morrisette (which I believe is the second song.)  It is silly and has nothing to do with home repair or renovation, but we can all use a break from that every now and then.  Enjoy!

Kids' Rock by Tim Hawkins

My nephew shared this YouTube video with me that last time I visited him back during the Christmas season.  I thought it was hilarious, especially the song sung by Alanis Morrisette (which I believe is the second song.)  It is silly and has nothing to do with home repair or renovation, but we can all use a break from that every now and then.  Enjoy!

It's Time to Plant the Freesia

Let's talk about something fun today.  Enough talk about the recessed lights and ceiling renovation in the kitchen.  We will get back to that later in the week.  It's time to plant the Freesia bulbs.

Pots, Barrels, Tubs & Urns

1. Fill your containers with good quality, well-drained soil. Almost any commercially available potting soil will work fine. Make sure there are adequate drainage holes; freesia bulbs must never sit in waterlogged soil or they will rot.
2. Place your containers in full sun.
3. Plant freesia 2" deep and 2" apart for the most brilliant display. Position bulbs with the pointy ends up.
4. After planting, water your containers well to settle the soil around the bulbs. Roots will form in the fall. Winter will bring taller growth and flowers will form in the spring.
5. Enjoy your flowering containers, snipping a few flowers if you like. This won't hurt your plants and provides lovey, fragrant flowers for arranging.
6. After blooming has finished for the season leave the foliage in place; don't cut it off. The leaves will gather sunlight, create food through photosynthesis and strengthen the bulb for the future. Water as needed during active growth periods; about 1" per week.
7. In early fall the leaves will yellow and die back as the plant slips into dormancy. Foliage many be removed at this point. Your freesia will rest for a few months before beginning the next growing cycle in the spring.

Note: In zone 8 and colder, plant freesia in the spring rather than in autumn. These bulbs will not survive outside in regions colder than zone 9.  Since we in are zone 7, I have decided to start these bulbs in a decorative pot inside and then set them outside once the weather warms.

 

Freesia flowers are “zygomorphic” which just means that they grow along one side of the stem. When you look at a flower stalk, you will see that the blooms are facing upward. Freesia stems have the unusual habit of turning at right angles just below the bottom flower. This causes the upper portion of the stem to grow almost parallel with the ground. The flowers bloom along the top side of the stalk, facing upwards. This makes them lovely to look down into in a garden setting and ideal for arrangements.

If you are in zone 7 or above, think about adding these beautiful, frangrant flowers to your outdoor rooms.

It's Time to Plant the Freesia

Let's talk about something fun today.  Enough talk about the recessed lights and ceiling renovation in the kitchen.  We will get back to that later in the week.  It's time to plant the Freesia bulbs.

Pots, Barrels, Tubs & Urns

1. Fill your containers with good quality, well-drained soil. Almost any commercially available potting soil will work fine. Make sure there are adequate drainage holes; freesia bulbs must never sit in waterlogged soil or they will rot.
2. Place your containers in full sun.
3. Plant freesia 2" deep and 2" apart for the most brilliant display. Position bulbs with the pointy ends up.
4. After planting, water your containers well to settle the soil around the bulbs. Roots will form in the fall. Winter will bring taller growth and flowers will form in the spring.
5. Enjoy your flowering containers, snipping a few flowers if you like. This won't hurt your plants and provides lovey, fragrant flowers for arranging.
6. After blooming has finished for the season leave the foliage in place; don't cut it off. The leaves will gather sunlight, create food through photosynthesis and strengthen the bulb for the future. Water as needed during active growth periods; about 1" per week.
7. In early fall the leaves will yellow and die back as the plant slips into dormancy. Foliage many be removed at this point. Your freesia will rest for a few months before beginning the next growing cycle in the spring.

Note: In zone 8 and colder, plant freesia in the spring rather than in autumn. These bulbs will not survive outside in regions colder than zone 9.  Since we in are zone 7, I have decided to start these bulbs in a decorative pot inside and then set them outside once the weather warms.

 

Freesia flowers are “zygomorphic” which just means that they grow along one side of the stem. When you look at a flower stalk, you will see that the blooms are facing upward. Freesia stems have the unusual habit of turning at right angles just below the bottom flower. This causes the upper portion of the stem to grow almost parallel with the ground. The flowers bloom along the top side of the stalk, facing upwards. This makes them lovely to look down into in a garden setting and ideal for arrangements.

If you are in zone 7 or above, think about adding these beautiful, frangrant flowers to your outdoor rooms.

Kitchen Ceiling (Continued)

Work in the kitchen continues.  We got the wide band of Castle Path painted around the outside of the ceiling.  This will be the accent color.  In the center of the ceiling we will apply Brushed Pearl, which is a Valspar product.



You can see the additional repairs that have been made to the ceiling in this picture.  Upon closer inspection, we found a number of places where the original plaster, which was applied in 1947, had small cracks in it.  These, no doubt, have come about as a result of the settling of the house over the past sixty-six years.  Each one of these small areas needed to have the loose plaster removed back to where it was still firmly attached to the wallboard.  Then two or three skim coats of drywall mud.  That needs to dry and then be sanded and then, in some instances, another application of mud.  Finding these small imperfections in the ceiling has severely slowed the progress on this job.  But this is the type of thing you must be prepared for when taking on any renovation project.  You never know when you start a project what it will entail, no matter how much planning you do ahead of time. 




In this view, you can see the holes in the ceiling that were drilled for the supports of the old light have now been repaired.  They will probably need to be sanded one more time before we are ready to start applying the paint.  The large hole in the center of the ceiling is the junction box where the electricial wiring resides from the old fixture.  This will be covered by a junction box cover plate and painted over.

 To save time, I decided to order the final items from Lowe's that I need to complete this job rather than wasting time and money sitting in traffic and getting to the store only to find what I need is not in stock.



This is an 0.33" Round Plastic Electrical Box Cover.  Price - $2.45




This is the trowel that is necessary to get the Brushed Pearl effect.  Price - $9.97.




And finally, a 4" Color Washing Brush to apply the topcoat.  Price - $6.98.  (I got two of these so that one can be drying while we are using the other to apply the fnish.  Better to have more brushes than needed rather than too few. 

 Grand total spent for all the rest of what I need, including shipping - $33.96.  I will gladly pay $5.99 for shipping to know that I have what I need to finish the project.  It would have taken an hour at least to drive to Lowe's, walk the aisles until I found what I was looking for, then be told that one or more of the items were out of stock, stand in line to pay for the one or two items I got, and then drive back home.  I would have been lucky to get that done in an hour.  I found everything I needed online this morning and placed the order and paid for it in about 10 minutes.  The items will be delivered by UPS on Thursday.  It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!!!!!

Kitchen Ceiling (Continued)

Work in the kitchen continues.  We got the wide band of Castle Path painted around the outside of the ceiling.  This will be the accent color.  In the center of the ceiling we will apply Brushed Pearl, which is a Valspar product.



You can see the additional repairs that have been made to the ceiling in this picture.  Upon closer inspection, we found a number of places where the original plaster, which was applied in 1947, had small cracks in it.  These, no doubt, have come about as a result of the settling of the house over the past sixty-six years.  Each one of these small areas needed to have the loose plaster removed back to where it was still firmly attached to the wallboard.  Then two or three skim coats of drywall mud.  That needs to dry and then be sanded and then, in some instances, another application of mud.  Finding these small imperfections in the ceiling has severely slowed the progress on this job.  But this is the type of thing you must be prepared for when taking on any renovation project.  You never know when you start a project what it will entail, no matter how much planning you do ahead of time. 




In this view, you can see the holes in the ceiling that were drilled for the supports of the old light have now been repaired.  They will probably need to be sanded one more time before we are ready to start applying the paint.  The large hole in the center of the ceiling is the junction box where the electricial wiring resides from the old fixture.  This will be covered by a junction box cover plate and painted over.

 To save time, I decided to order the final items from Lowe's that I need to complete this job rather than wasting time and money sitting in traffic and getting to the store only to find what I need is not in stock.



This is an 0.33" Round Plastic Electrical Box Cover.  Price - $2.45




This is the trowel that is necessary to get the Brushed Pearl effect.  Price - $9.97.




And finally, a 4" Color Washing Brush to apply the topcoat.  Price - $6.98.  (I got two of these so that one can be drying while we are using the other to apply the fnish.  Better to have more brushes than needed rather than too few. 

 Grand total spent for all the rest of what I need, including shipping - $33.96.  I will gladly pay $5.99 for shipping to know that I have what I need to finish the project.  It would have taken an hour at least to drive to Lowe's, walk the aisles until I found what I was looking for, then be told that one or more of the items were out of stock, stand in line to pay for the one or two items I got, and then drive back home.  I would have been lucky to get that done in an hour.  I found everything I needed online this morning and placed the order and paid for it in about 10 minutes.  The items will be delivered by UPS on Thursday.  It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!!!!!

Sad Little Baxter

We had a 9:20 AM appointment with Dr. Freed this morning.  Who is, in our opinion, the best veterinarian ever.  We received the card in the mail last week reminding us it was time to make a visit.

It was time for two booster shots, a blood draw and stool sample test.  Somebody is not very happy tonight.  A shot in each rear end and the blood draw from a front paw.  Poor little thing is not happy tonight.  The good news is that we got a call from the doctor earlier this afternoon that the stool sample was negative, which is a positive!  He will be back to normal tomorrow.  But tonight he is a little sore and not very happy.  Happier times ahead for Baxter.

Sad Little Baxter

We had a 9:20 AM appointment with Dr. Freed this morning.  Who is, in our opinion, the best veterinarian ever.  We received the card in the mail last week reminding us it was time to make a visit.

It was time for two booster shots, a blood draw and stool sample test.  Somebody is not very happy tonight.  A shot in each rear end and the blood draw from a front paw.  Poor little thing is not happy tonight.  The good news is that we got a call from the doctor earlier this afternoon that the stool sample was negative, which is a positive!  He will be back to normal tomorrow.  But tonight he is a little sore and not very happy.  Happier times ahead for Baxter.

Let's Get This Party Started Now

That is, . . . the weekend party!!!  So many things to be happy about.  Happy it is Friday.  Happy that next Thursday is the last day of February.  Happy it is Friday.  Happy that spring is right around the corner.  Happy it is Friday.  Happy that we return to Daylight Saving Time on March 10.  Happy it is Friday.  You get the idea.

Busy morning at Crest Avenue.  No time to make lunch and breakfast today, so I picked up something at Starbuck's when I stopped in for my coffee.

I am not a fan of all of their bistro boxes, but I have had this one before and it is very good.  For lunch, cage-free egg, white Cheddar cheese, multigrain muesli bread with honey peanut butter spread and fruit (grapes).  For breakfast, greek yogurt with honey which contains reduced-fat Greek yogurt, coconut-almond granola, pumpkin seeds and dried cramberries.  Total calories for this breakfast and lunch - 680.  That leaves me 1000 calories for the rest of the day.  Not bad.  If you found yourself in my situation this morning and did not have time to make something for breakfast and lunch, seek out your local Starbucks.  I bet you will find something you like that will not contribute to the love handles!!!

AN UPDATE:  You may not feel the need to use all of the granola in the yogurt.  The honey adds a lot of great flavor on its own.  I used about 1/3 of the granola mix and that was enough.  That also saves a few calories but does not make the yogurt any less tasty.

Let's Get This Party Started Now

That is, . . . the weekend party!!!  So many things to be happy about.  Happy it is Friday.  Happy that next Thursday is the last day of February.  Happy it is Friday.  Happy that spring is right around the corner.  Happy it is Friday.  Happy that we return to Daylight Saving Time on March 10.  Happy it is Friday.  You get the idea.

Busy morning at Crest Avenue.  No time to make lunch and breakfast today, so I picked up something at Starbuck's when I stopped in for my coffee.

I am not a fan of all of their bistro boxes, but I have had this one before and it is very good.  For lunch, cage-free egg, white Cheddar cheese, multigrain muesli bread with honey peanut butter spread and fruit (grapes).  For breakfast, greek yogurt with honey which contains reduced-fat Greek yogurt, coconut-almond granola, pumpkin seeds and dried cramberries.  Total calories for this breakfast and lunch - 680.  That leaves me 1000 calories for the rest of the day.  Not bad.  If you found yourself in my situation this morning and did not have time to make something for breakfast and lunch, seek out your local Starbucks.  I bet you will find something you like that will not contribute to the love handles!!!

AN UPDATE:  You may not feel the need to use all of the granola in the yogurt.  The honey adds a lot of great flavor on its own.  I used about 1/3 of the granola mix and that was enough.  That also saves a few calories but does not make the yogurt any less tasty.

New Recesed Lights in the Kitchen

The kitchen renovation at Crest Avenue continues.  Last night the new recessed lights were installed by Ken the Electrician.



The new recessed lights.  You will see in the background that I have already started taping around the ceiling in preparation for the next phase which will be a fresh coat of paint.


I took these pictures with my Android phone, so they are not the highest quality.  Sometimes the pictures are good from this phone and sometimes not.  But you get the idea.  The center of the ceiling was where the previous single light fixture in the kitchen resided.  That is the horrid oval circle.  The smaller holes in the oval were where the supports were that held the light in place.  They will be repaired and prepped for paint.  The large hole in the center is the junction box.  While we would have liked to have been able to completely cover this junction box with drywall and make it disappear entirely, that is not possible.  Ken the Electrician told us that it would be best, in his opinion, to have easy access to this box.  That is easily handled with a decorative cover plate.

These plates are available online or at your local big box home improvement center for minimal cost.  Once this is installed and painted over, you will hardly notice it is there.  Actually, I feel much safer knowing that there is access to this junction box.

And one final shot of the new lights from a different position.  I cannot tell you what a difference these lights have made in the room.  There are nine lights altogether.  The light is completely different than it was from the center mounted single fixture.  The room is bathed in light rather than having the light come from one source centered in the ceiling.  The new light is warmer than the previous light.  The old fixture emitted more of a "bluish" hue to the room.  The recessed light is more golden.

The renovation continues.  Repairs and paint to the ceiling as we have already discussed and a new backsplash.  The new blinds from Just Blinds arrived yesterday, so they will go up this weekend.  I will have lots of before and after pictures to share with you in a few days.

New Recesed Lights in the Kitchen

The kitchen renovation at Crest Avenue continues.  Last night the new recessed lights were installed by Ken the Electrician.



The new recessed lights.  You will see in the background that I have already started taping around the ceiling in preparation for the next phase which will be a fresh coat of paint.


I took these pictures with my Android phone, so they are not the highest quality.  Sometimes the pictures are good from this phone and sometimes not.  But you get the idea.  The center of the ceiling was where the previous single light fixture in the kitchen resided.  That is the horrid oval circle.  The smaller holes in the oval were where the supports were that held the light in place.  They will be repaired and prepped for paint.  The large hole in the center is the junction box.  While we would have liked to have been able to completely cover this junction box with drywall and make it disappear entirely, that is not possible.  Ken the Electrician told us that it would be best, in his opinion, to have easy access to this box.  That is easily handled with a decorative cover plate.

These plates are available online or at your local big box home improvement center for minimal cost.  Once this is installed and painted over, you will hardly notice it is there.  Actually, I feel much safer knowing that there is access to this junction box.

And one final shot of the new lights from a different position.  I cannot tell you what a difference these lights have made in the room.  There are nine lights altogether.  The light is completely different than it was from the center mounted single fixture.  The room is bathed in light rather than having the light come from one source centered in the ceiling.  The new light is warmer than the previous light.  The old fixture emitted more of a "bluish" hue to the room.  The recessed light is more golden.

The renovation continues.  Repairs and paint to the ceiling as we have already discussed and a new backsplash.  The new blinds from Just Blinds arrived yesterday, so they will go up this weekend.  I will have lots of before and after pictures to share with you in a few days.

A Birthday Party for Bob

Friday afternoon and all day Saturday was devoted to cleaning and cooking to prepare for the birthday celebration for Bob.  I was so pleased that the new table from Crate and Barrel arrived before the party.  I was concerned that it would not, even though I opted for expedited delivery.




This round, wire table is from Crate and Barrel.  It is called "Aerie."  It comes in two sizes.  I chose the smaller of the two sizes because I thought it would fit the room better.  And it did.  The perfect fit.

This table is nice for a room like this which is a pass-thru.  A square or rectangular table would never work in this situation.  With the Aerie table from Crate and Barrel, there is enough room for people to sit comfortably and for others to move through the room if necessary.



I thought it looked particularly nice with this maidenhair fern.  I did not serve from the table at this event, but you certainly could.  Just place the fern somewhere else in the house for decoration and place your hors d'oeuvres atop the table.  That would be lovely.

And we had a roaring fire in the fireplace for everyone to cozy up to.




Looks like someone is enjoying a glass of red wine while chasing away a chill.

Happy Birthday was the refrain of the day.  Here are some festive balloons which have miniature lights inside of them.  You cannot see it in this picture but they light up and emit a very soft, warm glow.  They were very pretty.



Festive balloons for Bob's birthday celebration.

I chose tulips as the flower for this event.  In the tv room, I placed an ewer of these beautiful peach and yellow-striped tulips.



Peach and yellow-striped tulips in the tv room.

On the dining room table, I placed a glass bowl of pink tulips.




Lovely pink tulips on the dining room table.

Always buy more flowers than what you think you will need by at least one bunch.  That way you will never be disappointed with your arrangement.  You want the bowl or dish or vase to be full.  Too few stems in a container is a bad look.  If you finish your arrangement and have a few stems left over, find a small vase or even a water glass, cut the stems short and place them in the container and place them on a shelf in the bath or on a side table.  I also picked up some dried fern to help fill the bowl.  You can find the bags of fern alongside the flowers at most markets.

Champagne coupes in the 1930's style.  I ordered these from The New York First Company (www.newyorkfirst.com) in New York City some few years ago for just such an event as this birthday party..

The next order of business was to get the champagne coupes out and ready for a bit of bubbly to celebrate another year in the fascinating life of Bob.



A simple tray of deviled eggs with filling consisting of heavy cream and white pepper among many other tasty ingredients.

Pre-dinner fare consisted of delectable deviled eggs, and




Baguette rounds brushed with EVOO and placed under the broiler for just a few minutes, then topped with finely chopped marinated artichoke hearts and plum tomatoes, some fresh lemon juice, a sprinkling of dried basil and sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  To die for.

freshly made crostini, both prepared by your favorite blogger - me!



Fresh sea scallops with a light coating of  flour sauteing in butter and white wine.

While everyone was enjoying their cocktails, I stepped into the kitchen and prepared the scallops for the delicious pasta over wilted field greens that Steven prepared.

*          *          *

After dinner it was time to open presents and for the birthday boy had to wear the obligatory frames.

After everyone left I noticed they had carefully lined up all the bottles of the different wines we sampled throughout the evening.



The sign of a good party.

It was a delightful evening enjoyed by all.  There was serious talk about the future for Bob and Bette and silly talk just for the fun of it.  Happy birthday Bob!!!  We are looking forward to the Kentucky Derby Party to be held in Gettysburg in May.

A Birthday Party for Bob

Friday afternoon and all day Saturday was devoted to cleaning and cooking to prepare for the birthday celebration for Bob.  I was so pleased that the new table from Crate and Barrel arrived before the party.  I was concerned that it would not, even though I opted for expedited delivery.




This round, wire table is from Crate and Barrel.  It is called "Aerie."  It comes in two sizes.  I chose the smaller of the two sizes because I thought it would fit the room better.  And it did.  The perfect fit.

This table is nice for a room like this which is a pass-thru.  A square or rectangular table would never work in this situation.  With the Aerie table from Crate and Barrel, there is enough room for people to sit comfortably and for others to move through the room if necessary.



I thought it looked particularly nice with this maidenhair fern.  I did not serve from the table at this event, but you certainly could.  Just place the fern somewhere else in the house for decoration and place your hors d'oeuvres atop the table.  That would be lovely.

And we had a roaring fire in the fireplace for everyone to cozy up to.




Looks like someone is enjoying a glass of red wine while chasing away a chill.

Happy Birthday was the refrain of the day.  Here are some festive balloons which have miniature lights inside of them.  You cannot see it in this picture but they light up and emit a very soft, warm glow.  They were very pretty.



Festive balloons for Bob's birthday celebration.

I chose tulips as the flower for this event.  In the tv room, I placed an ewer of these beautiful peach and yellow-striped tulips.



Peach and yellow-striped tulips in the tv room.

On the dining room table, I placed a glass bowl of pink tulips.




Lovely pink tulips on the dining room table.

Always buy more flowers than what you think you will need by at least one bunch.  That way you will never be disappointed with your arrangement.  You want the bowl or dish or vase to be full.  Too few stems in a container is a bad look.  If you finish your arrangement and have a few stems left over, find a small vase or even a water glass, cut the stems short and place them in the container and place them on a shelf in the bath or on a side table.  I also picked up some dried fern to help fill the bowl.  You can find the bags of fern alongside the flowers at most markets.

Champagne coupes in the 1930's style.  I ordered these from The New York First Company (www.newyorkfirst.com) in New York City some few years ago for just such an event as this birthday party..

The next order of business was to get the champagne coupes out and ready for a bit of bubbly to celebrate another year in the fascinating life of Bob.



A simple tray of deviled eggs with filling consisting of heavy cream and white pepper among many other tasty ingredients.

Pre-dinner fare consisted of delectable deviled eggs, and




Baguette rounds brushed with EVOO and placed under the broiler for just a few minutes, then topped with finely chopped marinated artichoke hearts and plum tomatoes, some fresh lemon juice, a sprinkling of dried basil and sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  To die for.

freshly made crostini, both prepared by your favorite blogger - me!



Fresh sea scallops with a light coating of  flour sauteing in butter and white wine.

While everyone was enjoying their cocktails, I stepped into the kitchen and prepared the scallops for the delicious pasta over wilted field greens that Steven prepared.

*          *          *

After dinner it was time to open presents and for the birthday boy had to wear the obligatory frames.

After everyone left I noticed they had carefully lined up all the bottles of the different wines we sampled throughout the evening.



The sign of a good party.

It was a delightful evening enjoyed by all.  There was serious talk about the future for Bob and Bette and silly talk just for the fun of it.  Happy birthday Bob!!!  We are looking forward to the Kentucky Derby Party to be held in Gettysburg in May.