Friday, January 4, 2013

Work This Week

It has been cold and frosty this week. This is about as snowy/frosty as it will ever get. It has now been 15 years since it snowed. I took the dog out early this morning as as I was standing on the frozen sidewalk, I thought of that saying I read in the Little House Books, " When the days begin to lengthen, the cold begins to strengthen." After hardly any cold weather last year, I am enjoying every single bit this year.

We have been busy working this week. I think the first week of January is off to a good start. I doubt if we can keep up the pace but it feels nice anyway. I was thinking as I was cleaning out my make-up drawer in my bathroom, " Now who in the world will ever look in here when the wedding comes?" I still makes me feel better.

I wish that my husband didn't have to go work at a real job next week. We would be done by the end of February if he didn't. I made him rest yesterday.
Here are some of the things he has done this week.

Some day I will remember to take before pictures. He raked all of the leaves and chopped weeds down this length of the driveway.

 He did this little flowerbed next to the garage, where his maple corner is right now. He will start grafting in February, we are pretty excited about that.  I have a barrel with my Peony's in it that he cleaned out and made all nice. I love Peony's but it is too hot for them to grow here. So we put them in a barrel so that we can move them around and out of the heat.

This is his little nursery area with all of his trees he will be grafting and trees he is growing to plant out in the pasture. He got it all pretty nice and clean. I didn't take picture of the other side but he even cleaned up and stacked my woodpile for my old barn wood.

I just love walking out there and seeing all of his trees on his benches. These are some that he has grown from seed, and some of them that will be future Bonsai.  The little cups are different kinds of little trees he has grown from seeds and are now seedlings.

I know you can't tell very well from this photo but these are his Bonsai trees that are in the ground to grow bigger bases. He has trimmed them and wired some of them and has expanded it to be six rows now.
If you look out he has even kept our pasture plowed so it looks all clean now too.

This is the pasture next door. He has been taking care of it now. My brother lives next door and  due to an injury is unable to care for it so my husband has taken over the job.

Here is the other direction of how big this pasture is and the land on the other side of this is my sister's property. Since she lives in Oklahoma, I think he has plans to start taking care of hers too.


Here is the mudball. Sasha wouldn't sit next to it so I could show you how big it is now. It is almost taller than she is when she is sitting. The experiment the boys told me was to see how water erosion from the rain would affect it this winter and what would happen to it by next spring. 

Here is the back flowerbed. All clean. He has three flats of spring flowers now growing in his shed under lights and on heat mats.

By the time the wedding comes, this patio will not look like this. But since he has cleaned it too I thought I would show you this, It looks so nice I think.

I tried to get all of my sewing supplies organized this week. I put all of my sewing and rug hooking things here. It felt nice to get rid of the piles that I had all over it.
I also went through my bookcases and gave them a good dusting  and even though I boxed up two boxes to take to Goodwill of books I still have too many books.

 Then while I was cleaning out closets I found my tulips. I felt like I was finally back home. I just got my bedroom and the office straightened and cleaned and I filled a whole trash can with things just from those two rooms. I organized and that part is clean. I have so much left to do but I think it is a good start. So then if anyone does look anywhere when they are here for the wedding, it will be clean.

When my last two got married, I cleaned like this and I was so glad too. I had so many people here decorating and the ladies that were doing the flowers had come in to eat lunch and I had forgot to get a piano or something for the music for the wedding, so I just had the boys come in and take our piano outside and put it on the porch for the pianist. The women were all at the table behind me eating, the boys picked up the piano and began to carry it outside, I turned around to see what the ladies were doing and they were all leaning over to see if it was clean under the piano.  Thankfully I had cleaned under it. Then the photographer wanted to set up an area in the living room which meant moving all of my furniture. Again, people watched to see if I cleaned under my couches. I had, so I squeaked through.
Last time I had the best decorator/ florist in the whole world. She even had the head designer from Disneyland who had retired after 30 years, who had just decided to move up here. They were the best people and the weddings were beautiful. Emilie starts working at a florist on Monday. I have a little more experience this time around, but I know if I get in a bind, who I can call. I think the secret to planning and doing a wedding is getting lots, and lots of help. I do my own flowerbeds though, I spend a lot of time crying in them and letting go. Just a silly ritual I have but by the time the wedding gets here I can do it without tears.

So when you are expecting people for a wedding it all has to be clean. People do look in drawers and in cupboards and in closets. It is just human nature. Well it is in this part of the world. :)

This is our first week of January. I just hope our strength holds out.  Sorry this is so picture heavy. I want to keep records of this journey.

I hope you are having a nice week too.

~Kim~



 

23 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

i need to clean my house like i'm getting ready for a wedding. :)

the mudball made me smile.

Kim said...

The mudball made me laugh out loud. I know you get very little rain. But a mudball here wouldn't last a couple of days!!

Meg said...

Wow, you got a lot done! It will be so pretty with all the flowers stuffed in your flower beds. Which florist is she working at? Hey, we still have a bunch of those boxes that Mimi used for our wedding, do you want them for flowers?

Alica said...

I think if someone looked under my piano to see if it was clean, I'd spit on them! Not really... :) But I might feel like it! I have to remember to clean on the top of the fridge when my family comes...my brothers-in-law and older nephews are all over 6 feet tall!

Kessie said...

She starts at a florist? Good job! Hopefully it's non-creepy and she doesn't have any allergies. Man, you guys got a lot done. The weather's been really nice once the sun comes out and the frost melts off. We've been going for lots of walks.

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

WOW girl...now I know I am lazy!!! That is just wonderful and all the work your husband did...oh my! Enjoy, enjoy the fruit of your labor...now I must go get busy and try to accomplish something... you have nudged my lazy bottom up

Great job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Julia said...

I've given trying to keep my house clean. I just can't do it all anymore and I hope that they would not think worst of me if I didn't dust under my piano. I think that they look under the piano because they are mesmerized by your throughly cleaning habits. They know that you cleaned under there. i do under my piano once a year.

That mud ball is still standing, wow.

Nothing like a wedding to energize you.
Have a great dust free day.
Hugs,
JBy

Beth said...

Congrats on all of the cleaning and outside work you and your husband have done. Everything will be perfect for the wedding.

Kerin said...

Kim,
Everything looks so neat and tidy.
How nice to have some of the organization projects done, and you can cross them off your list.

I love seeing all the green there!
We have about 2 feet of frozen snow, and the temperatures are staying in the negatives.
If we get lucky, we might make it up to a balmy 10 degrees.

Enjoy this time.

Empty Nester said...

Wow, you know some nosy people, don't you? I like to leave things I know people wouldn't appreciate seeing in drawers when people are coming over. That's what they get for being nosy. LOL I would NEVER look in someone elses drawers and stuff. Are you kidding me?! I can't believe how busy y'all have been! I'm exhausted just reading about it!

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

Wow, you guys have been busy. Seeing all that you've done and knowing that you have plenty more to do makes me glad that we had DD's wedding at the church with the reception at a reception hall. It was beautiful, but how much more meaningful to have a wedding at one's home. And with all the land you have and the beautiful house, I'm sure it will be the loveliest of weddings.

Pom Pom said...

Way to go! You are a cleaning machine, Kim!

Sue said...

WOW! Kim, you both have been two busy bees, I had a good laugh at the folks checking to see if you had cleaned beneath the furniture, so funny.Everything looks great
It seems we both have very sweet and hard working husbands. I had not planned to start my cleaning until next week nbut for some reason a cleaning bug bit me today and I was a busy bee too! even surprised myself. lol
Enjoy your weekend.
HUgs,
Sue

Julia said...

Ahh Kim, can you tell that I was dead tired when I posted my comment?

Your yard is as neat as a pin. I think that you got a good bargain when you married your man. Not only does he clean your yard but two more besides yours. Wow. Such a kind soul.
I'm sure that everything will be tidy and clean in plenty of time for the wedding. Don't wear yourself out though.

I would never dare looking in the drawers or cabinets of someone's else house and I even hate to look in the cupboards of my own kids in their home when I need something. The same goes for the fridge.

People need to have boundaries when they visit someone home.

I can't wait to see some wedding pictures. I hope that you'll share some with us.

Hugs,
JB

Miss Debbie said...

You have been busy! You are right...get lots of help. People want to help and it sure makes things easier...and more enjoyable!

Thistle Cove Farm said...

good grief! that's a back breaking load of work...y'all have been BUSY!

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

It sounds like you are ahead of the game. We moved the couch out to see if we could find one of the telephones that has gone missing and there had to have been a pound of dog hair along with several soup bones and balls. Bella loves her toys and they always end up under a bed or couch. Good thing I'm not having a wedding at my house!! LOL

Patrice said...

You're SO clean! How can you possibly be friends with someone like me? I can cook like you wouldn't believe. I am good with artsy things. Cleaning? That somehow missed me. This isn't a dump or anything, but cleaning is not a favorite. How'd you clean under the piano? You got me on that one. :)Face it, I'm hopeless. So- I guess I need to go bake some cookies and sit to enjoy them with a nice cup of tea. All the while, wondering what lurks under my piano. :)

Primitives By The Light of The Moon said...

Goodness you both have been busy! Bet your sis wouldn't mind a bit if you pretty up her land, too! That is one big mudball :)

moosecraft said...

You have been very busy! And your hubby is a fantastic helper! I sure would love to be able to play the dirt today... but, it's all frozen here! lol! I worked in a florist for about 5 years... it's FUN! :-)

Debbie said...

WoW kim, you have accomplished a lot!! i always do a big cleaning in the winter, when i have to be inside anyway and it feels great. and no weddings here!!

Dawn said...

You 2 are as busy as beavers!!! I cannot believe no snow for 15 years!!! I can't imagine. Want me to send you some of mine? We have had snow since October:/
hugs dear friend.

GretchenJoanna said...

My but you are busy! May God strengthen you! Your place looks beautifully neat and clean - I am envious!