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Happy Friday, friends! Well, time has gotten away from me again and it’s been a significant number of weeks since I last sat down and updated you on all the little goings on around here. I’m not quite sure where we left off last time, so I’m just going to jump right in with where we’re at right now. Here are the first five little things that come to mind. 🙂
First of all, the above photo was the backyard of a home we shot recently. It had definite The Secret Garden vibes and I had to share this photo I leaned out the back door to snap really quickly.
A cute game of dads vs. kids pick-up soccer one night.
We have just been all over the place over the last few weeks. Soccer games in Michigan, tournaments in Ohio, apartment hunting for Kennedy in Toronto, and photo shoots that had us zig-zagging all over the Southern Ontario area. It feels a little like I haven’t had time to collect my thoughts or really get anything done in weeks. Although, during busy times like this, just keeping things running and putting one foot in front of the other really is quite an accomplishment. So I’m happy to report that the house is still standing, everyone has been kept fed and clothed, and we’ve even managed to cut the grass at irregular intervals without things getting too out of control. We have just a few bigger summer plans with a camping trip, a visit to Philadelphia to watch a soccer game and do some touristy things, and a second-year university student to move into her first real apartment, but other than that, things are looking a bit quieter and we are very much looking forward to just puttering around the house a bit.
Apartment hunting in Toronto.
The big house news around here is that we finally got a new water treatment system. If you’ve ever been on well water, you know what a big deal this can be. The system that was here when we moved in was never very good, so we’ve basically been living with orange water for the last 13 years. It hasn’t been the end of the world, but it does make cleaning a little more difficult and it can increase the wear and tear on appliances. We finally got fed up a few weeks ago and decided it was time to get a new system, even if it was going to be a bit of a big expense and a bit of a hassle. We were so relieved to find that the technology seems to have gotten quite a bit better in the last few years because the whole process was quick and painless, and somehow less expensive than when we last looked into them about six years ago. So now we have cleaner water and one more thing checked off our big house project list.
Most of my garden goals for this season have been miserable failures so far. I did manage to purchase and plant white sunflower seeds and I’ve very much looking forward to seeing those bloom sometime around mid-summer. I’m going to do a succession planting so I’ll have more blooming as we head into fall as well. Other goals I had included planting wisteria around the garage to grow up and over it, as well as finding a bird bath for a spot on our back deck so I could watch the birds out my back door window. I had a little window of time where I thought I would have enough free time to plant the wisteria and my garden center happened to be all out of wisteria at that point. So that may be one for next year. I also just haven’t been able to pull the trigger on a birdbath yet. I want something to keep in that spot on my back deck for years and years, so I’m waiting for just the right one and I’m not totally sold on any yet. The lesson here is that even though I haven’t done any big things in the garden this year, all the little things I’ve done over the years have truly added up and everything is still looking just beautiful. In gardening, as in life, slow and steady wins the race.
Do you remember that exposed brick wall project we were working on a few months ago in our bedroom? It’s actually nearly finished and all I have left to do is paint it. This project has been in the works for an exceptionally long time. We first ripped the paneling off the wall to expose the brick on the original exterior wall that is now the interior wall of our bedroom about 12.5 years ago. We had different plans originally, but finally this year we decided that we would just trim it out and enjoy the wall as-is. So, Chris being Chris, he did an absolutely beautiful job of trimming everything out so the wall now looks beautifully finished and we added a picture rail about 2/3 of the way up the wall as well so I can display a few photos or prints and switch them out easily as I see fit. As I mentioned before, we’ve been on the go non-stop, but we’ve finally managed to get a few weekends free and I’m determined to get this little project done. I’ll keep you posted, but expect photos of the finished product soon!
As crazy as things have been, we’ve really been having so much fun. I’m not naturally someone who loves it when things feel chaotic and out-of-control, even if it’s all because of good things. When we’re away from home a lot, I just want to get back into my routine and get everything in order around the house. Having an evening with no plans and a closet that needs to be organized is my idea of perfect night. All that being said, now that I’ve had a minute to sit down and type this little note to you, I find myself looking through my photos on my phone and I’m realizing that we’ve had a whole lot of high points during all this busy-ness. Phones photos are great for reminding you of all the things you’ve been up. 🙂 A few highlights:
-Jack ran the 400m at our city’s track meet for the first time and won. We were in disbelief and so amazed at his fitness and talent.
-Kennedy finished her first year of art school and just kept painting. I think that’s a sure sign that someone has found something they really love. It’s amazing how she just sits down on a blanket outside for an hour and comes back in with the most amazing oil painting of the plant life or the scenery around our property. I’ll show you some of her latest pieces soon if she’ll let me! We even visited Cobbletog together and found some amazing vintage frames for her paintings.
-Somehow, Chris and I have ended up having several really nice dinners out at restaurants that I’ve been meaning to visit for quite a while. We don’t get out to that type of thing very often at all, so it’s been really fun that it just kind of worked out that we were in the right places at the right times.
NEWS AND FINDS
–Garden season is in full swing, and my site metrics are proof! Here are some of the blog posts that other home gardeners have been referencing the most recently during these past late spring weeks:
–How to Use Epsom Salt for Roses
–What to do When Your Hydrangea Leaves Turn Yellow
–How to Sharpen Hedge Clippers and Pruning Shears
-A designer we were working with asked me where I found my wide-leg petite jeans the other day, because they’re so hard to find in shorter inseam lengths, and I had to admit to her that they were actually gap kids size 12 jeans. It was a funny moment, but a good tip for petite people like me. These were the jeans she was asking about. I’ve been wearing them a lot lately and my usual size (in grown-up clothes) is 24 Petite, so these are about equivalent to that. As a bonus, I find kids jeans are usually made with softer denim than adult sizes, so they’re always extra comfortable.
-This is the Plein Air painting kit that we got for Kennedy so she could pack up and bring all her painting gear outside with her. It has a place for all her paints and brushes, her palette, and it turns into a mini easel so she can comfortably sit outside and paint. It also happens to be a thing of beauty and looks so nice just sitting out on a table or when you put it away on a shelf. We had looked at some fancier ones, but she decided she just wanted something simple to start with and I’m so impressed with how lovely it is.
Small hand tools are Amazon finds. Large hedge clippers are Burgon & Ball.
–Amazon home finds: During this busy season, I’ve been enjoying making little, functional updates to things around our home, and I’ve come across some great Amazon finds. This affordable garden tool set (with wood handles, a necessity for me) is beautiful and also wonderfully sturdy. The pruning shears are sharp and work well. I loved this little weeding tool so much that I ordered a second one to have as a backup. I haven’t seen another quite like this, but it’s my new favorite and I can weed a whole garden bed in a flash. This little copper dustpan and this brush are just beautiful little essentials. I love everyday items that are beautiful as well as functional and that I can leave out hanging on a hook without having them become an eyesore.
MORE RECENT POSTS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
- How to Use Epsom Salt for Roses and Other Plants
- How to Grow Solomon’s Seal
- Our Visit to Greenhill Gardens
- The New White Kitchen: 12 Fresh Ideas for White Cabinets
- How to Get Spray Paint Off Skin
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.