Progress (And the Infamous Water Table)

I am slowly but surely ticking things off of my to do list. We are having house guests from Thursday through Saturday, then a Father's Day barbecue at our house next Sunday.

Did I mention that I thought Father's Day was today until about three days ago? Suffice it to say, I felt like a moron and we shuffled and rescheduled to have the shindig on the actual day. Which is probably good, because there is no way I'd have been ready today.

What did I accomplish today?

Well. Let me tell you.

I finished re-covering my re-purposed outdoor chairs!

The chairs and table used to be our actual dining table. Yes, checkered marble on metal. Glorious. But, for outdoor, it's kind of fun and kitschy. The old chair seats were the same fabric as the back.

Except our clinically insane cats had clawed them to shreds and they were covered in cat hair.

Did I mention we left them out all winter in the rain?

I managed to salvage the foam from the seats (we haven't had rain here in weeks and I laid them it out to dry on the patio during the day. Add a staple gun and a little muscle (very little) - and my budget fabric ($4 a yard) and for under $30, I have an outdoor dining set. Score!

The next matter of business is my poor little garden. B was kind enough to install a sprinkler for me, and fertilize. The starts have been in the ground for two weeks but they're not doing so hot. B figured out the soil we had trucked in had not fully composted, so it's actually leaching nutrients from the soil and away from my poor veggies. Effing dirt.


I'm hoping for the best. My tomatoes are in pots and are doing very well. Whew. But B thinks that next year, once the soil is all happy, my garden will be much more productive. Fingers crossed!

And, for those of you who have been following my water table saga, I bring to you, without further ado, the toy itself (and my spastic dogs who make it into EVERY FREAKING PHOTO I TAKE).


G is pretty taken with the little squirty animals.

He is especially concerned about making sure they all make it into their cave.

Walrus and whale are safely tucked into their home, ready for night-night.

To Do

These last two days have been an odd mix of frenetic organizing and laying catatonic on the couch. As I write that it sounds as if I'm manic - I'm not, I promise! I can happily say my bursts of energetic go-get-em-ness have been quite fruitful. I've cleaned, done laundry, made lots of doctors appointments all to take place BEFORE the insurance runs out. I did and filed the taxes and oh yeah, filed for unemployment. Weird. It's scarily simple. Though I've heard to keep it going you must apply for several jobs weekly. Sounds delightful.
All this catch up is keeping me sane for now. But I know I will eventually need to come up with other distractions. Yes, I have G. He is a very fun distraction. The problem is I tend towards cabin fever and quickly. I've been trying to come up with fun things to do with a very loud toddler in tow.
We've tried the park. It was fun, until we left. Holy tantrum, Batman! G screamed all the way home (a good mile or so). I'm sure passersby thought I was kidnapping him. I am not discouraged though, we will try the park again, but on a day that is warmer and I can handle G eating all the little pieces of bark in the playground.
So I have the park, and am going to try to find some good swimming lessons for G, and possibly some music lessons if they aren't completely cost prohibitive. I have ideas for G. But for me?
Well, I want to learn to sew. I have a machine, albeit old, that I think I may drag out. I don't know what I'm going to sew, but I figure now is a great time to learn.
Another thing: a vegetable garden. I think I can put one on the side of our house. There is enough sun and the dogs can't destroy it there. Some beans, some carrots - nothing too complicated.
That's my personal to-do list so far. Any other ideas? I've got all the time in the world...once G is down for a nap.