Off and running

We started the year by tackling some large unfinished house projects. Bryan has finished the renovation of his sailboat and can now work on the house.
Do you see our priorities?
We finished his boat and 2/3 of my garden before the house. " )

So, we removed everything from the living room and painted the walls, trim and ceiling bright white.

Sounds safe, right?
NOT FOR ME! Its pretty radical. I' m comfortable with color and realized this is the first time I have ever painted my walls white.

We purchased the flooring last night at a box store.
Ended up picking out Pergo laminate in a hickory.




Isnt it pretty?!
Its going to look great and should make this tiny house feel much larger.
We needed only 450 square feet of planking.
that's it.
That is for our living room, kitchen and bathroom.
I was a little surprised by the number really. Kinda funny.

Anyway, Tomorrow we start ripping out the tile and hope to get the laminate down on sunday.
" )

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Resolutions

2012 is going to be a good year, but certainly a year of change and transition. I expect this statement to be true both for myself and the world at large. Its set to be a doozy!

So I decided to go ahead and write some resolutions for the year, just to put it out into the universe. " )




I obtained my permaculture certification last month and I am ready to honor my spirit.
I am a plant person. " )

I will be involving myself in as many permaculture and gardening projects as I can.

I will teach at least one gardening related class this year.

I will complete the potager, which means a new fence, build remaining beds, build soil up and add 3 more inches of shell in the paths.

I will attend zen meditation weekly.

I will volunteer more time towards and physically work on the gardens at The Florida House project.

I will lose weight and start going to the gym. This is the year I take care of myself.

I will finally fix my teeth and have the mercury removed.

I will continue to be grateful for my job and what it has afforded me

I will find the humor in dealing with my boss and survive her constant criticisms.

I (we) will finish all the unfinished house projects and renovations.

I will create my ferrocement office.

I will concentrate on strengthening my ACL and return to yoga.

I will finish the mini orchard beds.

I will complete the two exams I have remaining for my industry designation.

I will spend more time with my friends and building more friendships.

I will blog more. I need more practice writing full sentences again. " ) Too many years of quick business speak...my grammar is trashed!

I will finish my novel this year.

I will learn two songs on my ukulele.

I will buy a cello.

I will make my son a handmade twin size quilt.

I (we) will pay off my mortgage this year!!!!!

I will cook all our dinners and reduce our food bill to $500 a month.

We will visit Disney once a month...season pass!!

OK not sure if this is a list of resolutions or just a To Do list, but it works for me.

I am pretty excited!!!

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Permaculture design course....2nd weekend

Secrets of the Natural world is this weekend's topic/ theme....really lookng forward to it!!!!

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Permaculture Design Course

Last weekend I attended the first of six workshops towards obtaining a Permaculture Design Certificate. This is something I have been wanting to do for years. Until now, I have merely dabbled in permaculture. I attended some courses in Phoenix, joined their local guild and have read most of the most current books on permaculture, but this is my first formal training.

I am pretty excited about this!!! This is the beginning of a new era in my life.

The first step on an exciting new journey.

A journey back to my true self.

I have always been a plant person. Many of my best childhood memories involve my interaction with and love of plants and gardens. I'll speak to that in another post, as I don't want to be long winded or get off track.

My first goal with attending this course is practical. I'm planning and building my garden and food forest and want to do things correctly the first time. I've been working this garden for two years now, and I've made some mistakes and have had some setbacks. Fortunately, that is something I expect when dealing with nature, and the general momentum and progress with this garden has been really positive.
One step back, two steps forward. " )

I think the reason for most of my mistakes or my biggest hindrance has been the fact that over the last 10 years, we kept moving. I met Bryan while living in North Florida, then we moved to the pacific northwest, then the desert, and now finally back in south florida. Each climate has its own issues, and its own plant families, so I' ve been starting from scratch with each garden, and what I knew or thought I knew is getting jumbled.

I'm back home. South Florida is where I was born and raised, but I will still have challenges that will be new to me here. I' m about 100 miles north of where I grew up and closer to the frost line. not to mention that I am now on the Gulf side rather than the Atlantic. Still, much here is familiar and it feels as if I am surrounded by old friends when I' m in my garden.





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The Cone of Uncertainty

UPDATE: We got very lucky and Rina is no longer a threat for us. Thankfully, a cold front pushed down from the north. YEAH!!

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My Seed Chest

I hear some women actually put jewelry in one of these. " )

I love this box! Bryan bought it a few months ago at the city's thrift store, which is at the "recycling center"...aka the dump.
we love that place! He picked up this little gem for $10. It holds my seed bottles perfectly.
I find it hard to fathom having enough jewelry to fill this, but I am not a jewelry person.
I have always joked that I drool over seed catalogs the way other women drool over jewelry catalogs, so this is quite apropos.

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English Paper Piecing Star Quilt

I started my EPP quilt!! We went to Goodwill a few weekends ago and I bought a bunch of mens shirts. I took them apart and cut into 2.5" strips.


Then my quilt patis arrived. These are plastic templates that take the place of the traditional paper templates.



My first pieced stars. " )