Projects but not photo worthy ones...

It's been cold here -- well cold for Dallas -- and it makes me curl up inside my house in fleece pants and dream about gardening. I did emerge a little over the long New Year's weekend and got a few projects done with Tom's help. Nothing exciting enough for photos though. But just so you don't think I am a total slacker, here is a run down of the mundane:

We covered almost all of my windows with clear plastic on the inside. Amazing! It's so clear that you can't even see it's there until you bump your nose on it. I was afraid it would be thick and waxy but not at all. It's a huge improvement in draft control.

I also bought an insulated wrap for my hot water heater, which is up in the attic. The heater looked very happy in its new winter coat as I folded up the attic stairs. I hope it rewards me with good behaviour and a reduced gas bill.

Tom installed my security lighting ... I had an electrician here a few weeks ago to provide wiring for the fixtures but needed the fixtures. Tom and I had bought several, only to figure out they were the wrong types -- dawn to dusk vs. motion sensor. I needed both, but managed to buy all the wrong ones. Frustrating! (Note to self: Niche market exists at Home Depot and Lowe's, advising them on their target market for lighting displays.)

Santa brought me a rain gauge and outdoor thermometer... got those installed. The rain gauge is just perfect mounted on my new fence! (The thermometer is out on my porch and is stuck on "cold." I have a standing rule at work -- I did author the employee handbook after all -- that any morning that the temp is 40 or under when I leave the house is a blue jeans day. I've been wearing jeans a LOT. Did I not move far enough south?? Apparently not.)

And covering plants? Covers on. Covers off. Covers on. Covers off. Stop the madness! I know, I know, many of you just have snow and I get no sympathy from you. But I am weary of it.

I got the coolest "woman with wings" windchime for Christmas! I hung it outside my dining room window... she is enchanting as she twists in the wind! Makes me happy. I tried to take a photo of it but she isn't very visible on "film" ... hmmmm... lol

I've been looking at a LOT of paint swatches but I am vapor locked with indecision. Just about every room needs some color, but choosing them is pure agony. Usually I am pretty decisive/impulsive about paint, but I am struggling for some reason. I am chalking it up to owning versus renting. It must seem permanent.

I'm in the same state with bedroom window coverings. Of course, I had the same struggle with kitchen window coverings, and I really had to work up to committing to going to Home Depot and resolving not to leave until I had ordered something. So... I've been down this road before, I just need to buck up and go there and make a decision. I can't choose paint until I decide on window coverings. And the cranberry velvet curtains are smothering me in there! They were great at the other house where the room was huge, but this bedroom is too small for such heavy, long curtains.

I've been dreaming of gardening. I didn't get to dig in the dirt at ALL last Spring between the trial and moving. My timing was all off, and then I had to unpack... so this year -- ! OH! I am so excited. I've ordered and received my metal corners for my Square Foot Gardening (google it) and also bought plant markers. I am reading and researching about considerations for starting a garden in a plot that has not been planted before... and am making lots of notes. I think I am going to start a garden journal setting out what I did when, year to year for comparison. A weekend with a rental tiller is in my not distant future... And my obsession this weekend has been with sunflower seeds to plant. My friend Kelly grows the most amazingly huge sunflowers, and I must admit to sunflower envy. I've been poring over websites and reading about them all weekend! It's a sickness. Hopefully this Spring I will be able to post sunflower photos!

Now I must go stoke the fire... it's dwindling... and tomorrow is Monday.