I'm ready to roll:) into February with remaining and ongoing projects and a few new goals.
NEW GOALS - Health and Diet
PILATES - 3 to 5 days a week - 20 to 30 minutes each, before breakfast. - Ugh - FAIL SO FAR
FOOD - go meatless minimum twice a week. - Easy - SUCCESS SO FAR
Serve raw veggies, fresh steamed veggies, and fresh organic fruit at least once a day - all month long. - OK - but needs improvement - more salads!
Try one or several of the GRITS RECIPES I've had forever - or - get rid of them by the end of the month. - Oops - forgot - but did try two other new dishes.
Start using the HP MONITOR at least once a day in January to get a better idea of my true average. - Doc said to track three times a week - SUCCESS!
I'm getting a workout in the garden but I'd really like to add more walking -we'll see. - For now - I'm good with the garden workout. Decided to go to the beach for a walk - twice a week. Starting this Monday.
ONGOING
SPRING GARDENING
Finish seeding veggies and herbs and flowers - buy lettuce plantlings - working on it - still working on it - good progress!
Shed Area and Potting Area and Behind the Shed - made good progress this week!
More clean up and organizing - in progress
Weeding, mulching and composting - in progress - made good progress this week!
New - get garden help and professional tree service - NO PROGRESS YET!
Cut down Bougainvillea - professional
Lay two new garden paths - professional
Add a short connecting pathway from shade garden to tropical garden - DIY
New - mailbox fix and beautifying project - DIY and creative project
New - DIY - back entry project and landscaping
Three CREATIVE PROJECTS - (JAN) continued into February
Finish the Garden Gate and Garden Decor Project (25% done) - Getting there! Slow progress - but I am enjoying the process.
Finish the Rose Quartz Pendant and Chain - 90% done.
Egyptian Jewelry Set - Necklace and Earrings - no progress yet.
PAPER CLUTTER - FEB GOAL
Tackle four stacks of paper (Study) - No Progress yet - spring gardening is wiping me out - I'll catch up on rainy days:).
DE-CLUTTER and general SPRING CLEANING [/b] - No Progress yet -
Do six drawers - spice, knife, bathroom, and three clothes drawers.
Spring clean and de-clutter Bedroom.
Spend one hour or so twice a week on organizing and de-cluttering any area of the house or shed or closets or bookcases.
It is hard to tell how long some of these projects will take both the spring gardening and spring cleaning will continue into March so my actual deadline for both is March 31. At that time I will prioritize and put every effort into completing them by April 15.
Paper Clutter Deadline is around Mar 5, so my goal is actually to have the entire study in tip top shape by the end of February, giving myself an extra five days in March.
Special Project this month is to buy and install three new light fixtures - hopefully, this will be done by mid-month. - Working on it!
Stay focused and don't forget to have fun - good luck with your Feb goals everyone:).
Updates - see above.
Not quite as good as I'd hoped - but all in all - moving right along. I can see the end in sight of a few of the garden projects and even the creative projects. I am becoming more determined to knock out several projects this month.
The garden is beginning to look like a fun, colorful spring garden, the veggies are doing well and I'm almost finished with planting and seeding flowers and herbs. I made quite a few changes, we cut back the passionfruit vine that was turning into a garden thug, harvested my first plantain, making my first plantain chips and sweet plantain, created a new seating area in the shade and trimmed the bananas and papayas.
I'm actually looking forward to the de-cluttering projects in the house - just waiting for a rainy day to rest my weary bones from the garden chores and schlepping around 25-pound stones.
One bright spot, I added new creative projects (well, yes - eye-roll:) which turned out oh so pretty which made me happy. It is what I always do. I find myself adding projects before even finishing the current projects. Anyway, I did a few really fun, cobalt blue glass bottles and windchime project(s) - that are 'almost' (95%) finished.
The trouble is I have more ideas than I have time and energy.
We'll see how far I get by the EOM.
Today was mostly a planting day and I set up a new "raised container" garden for the herbs and veggies that need more shade to survive our brutal summers. Cleaned a couple of outdoor cushions and fixed-up and re-organized a couple of other small garden corners.
I hope to finish planting tomorrow, seed a few flowers, herbs and lettuce and hope that Mr. R. will help by moving a large potted palm and laying a new border in the tropical garden, we also need to deal with the compost.
We'll see how it goes - it is a big garden...
MORE SPRING GARDEN SUCCESS!
1. We tackled the compost area together - all done!
2. Mr. R. did a great job adding a new border and a small stacked stone wall! Looks exactly like I imagined - love it:).
3. It turned out to be a perfectly lovely potager, mixed garden bed of herbs, flowers and veggies.
I added a big pot of Rosemary in the center and placed a terracotta window box freshly planted with pink Geraniums on top of the new garden wall.
4. I've slowly cleaned up and cleared the potting area and planted a new herb border along the pathway to the shed.
TODAY
1. I finally cleared off the planting table for the first time in months - the table is currently soaking overnight to be scrubbed tomorrow. To be dried in the sun tomorrow, repair some damaged areas and paint it in hopes it will last another season or two.
2. Puttered about, making changes here and there, and planting flowers and herbs.
3. I finished The Container Herb Garden - both for the sun lovers and the shade lovers. YAY!
Now I am down to the last plantlings of four Leek and four Spearmint.
I hope to at least finish cleaning, repairing and painting the table tomorrow.
RE-CYCLE - UP-CYCLE Art projects - de-cluttering - organizing
Yesterday I sorted through my remaining stash of glass bottles lingering in the yard. I've slowly used them up for garden projects and I've shared a bunch with my neighbor for her windchime projects.
Tomorrow is re-cycle day so that is my deadline for what I will keep and what I will give away (most of it). My neighbor will be doing a show in March so she's happy to get about 35 bottles. I'll keep about 10 for future projects and recycle the ones that have lost their color.
HOPIUM:)
Maybe I can manage the table renovation:), the bottle clean-up, and wash-up job, and cutting back a Passionflower vine gone rogue between 8am and 2pm.
By then I'll be ready to sip a chilled glass of wine in the shade of our newly created seating area. I may appeal to my neighbor for moral, I mean w(h)ine support.
We have not moved the monster palm into the new area yet - I'm excited to see how it will all look in another month. I think I'll move some of the ferns into this area as well.
Part I of V of the spring gardening is nearing the end - we'll see how it goes.
