Out "walking the estate"...

I'm exhausted, and feel so overwhelmed..... so I went antique shopping today LOL.  Didn't buy anything except a little leather train case for $8 to use in my sewing area, but I really had NO business leaving this house today, there's so much to be done around here.

In lieu of anything truly productive going on, I'll just show you some photos I took this morning while "walking the estate"... doesn't that sound so much better than "picking up dog poop"?

I let my colder weather seedlings sit outside a spell, below are the artichokes.

Here's my broccoli seedlings, pathetic and leggy as they are... although I can tell that the "Piricicaba" broccoli are much larger and healthier looking than the "Purple Sprouting" broccoli.  Need to make a note of that for next year.

Yay!  The Forsythia bloomed - this is the first thing in the yard to bloom every year.

Below, the grass ( I use that term loosely) is turning green!  

I neglected to put in an order of garlic last fall, so I only planted what's below that I had from last year's harvest, but they are doing well.

Below, Iris is peeking up - I'm glad now that I got those perennials hacked back a few weeks ago.

PEAS!  (look closely)

I have no idea what this is, I'm not a bulb gal - I just had a bunch and let the kids dig them in a couple of years ago, I can tell you it's really short!

Parsley!

Random

And what's this?  Did Charlie Sheen get an endorsement deal?  LOL  "Where Winners Eat"!

ah, no... flip the bag over and it's a photo of Michael Phelps :)

Forecast tonight - cold, windy and storms all night and tomorrow... looks like I'll be working inside!

Living Small - Update #1

I am currently drowning in paint and it feels like we are just moving in!  All the stuff has been pushed out of the living room into the bedroom, then vice versa - we could barely walk in here this past weekend.  Things are moving a little more slowly than I would like, but I do have other things to tend to, like children... 

Oh, paint is expensive!  This isn't even all I will need.

5 gal "Ultra Pure White" satin:  $115

2 gal "Sterling" satin paint+primer in one:  $32 each

misc supplies:  $17

Total this week:  $196

Luckily, I don't need to tape off when I cut in (yeah, I'm that good LOL) so that saves a bunch of money.  I did make a big wasteful mistake, however.  I planned on painting the entire house Ultra Pure White to open up the space and have 2 accent walls in the pale gray.  After painting the entire living room white I then painted the accent wall and fell so completely in love with the way it showed off the white trim that I had to repaint the whole thing!  I'm still doing all the ceilings in white to raise them visually, so all is not lost, I will still need the 5 gal, I just hadn't planned on buying it all at one time.  I found I just couldn't go without color - even though my version of color isn't really a color at all - my favorite color is gray and any shade of it ranging from pale to a stormy blue-gray.  The blue is out though, I really needed BRIGHT!

Below:  "before" colors:  I liked them, but needed brighter

In the photo above, the Nordic blue on the walls really looks light to begin with, and I thought so for years, until I put the Sterling Gray up - below you can tell the difference on the ceiling!  It really gives the impression that the ceiling is further above you than it is (our ceilings are 9 ft).

below, the living room is finished, but not re-assembled yet

Party Foul!

I'm not sure who, but either Marley or Sprocket threw their ball into the paint!  They thought paintball was the next new sport, I guess.

The bedroom was painted too, but everything is still in massive disarray.  I spackled & patched every single nail hole everywhere and now I hesitate to commit to new placement of artwork and photgraphs, I think I'll wait until I get a huge "whole house pile" of wall decor, then redistribute it into different places and throw things out that I don't absolutely love anymore.  That's the best way to stick to budget I've found, just not buy anything decor-wise until you've had the chance to try out the old stuff in new places!

So... I'm a couple steps closer to finding my sewing nook, just like this gal...  okay, maybe I don't resemble her all that much.  

 Remember, that's what started all this nonsense, I need a place to channel my inner domestic diva!