tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-289323722024-03-07T20:25:15.426-06:00Barefoot in the GardenWelcome to my garden. Come in, take off your shoes, and let me offer you a seat in the shade, a cool drink, and friendly conversation while we enjoy the beauty of the day...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1094125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-69863411265261243012013-01-09T10:05:00.000-06:002013-01-09T10:05:45.601-06:00A New LifeI turned 35 last weekend. Happy Birthday to me.
In a lot of ways, I feel like I'm just now starting my life. It's all brand new. The last year has been full of learning and growing and becoming something better, and it feels like a birthday is the perfect symbol of that.
It's exciting.
My birthday was about as low-key as you can get. I worked the night before and the night of, so I came home Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-75745948587824689472013-01-04T09:33:00.002-06:002013-01-04T09:33:51.214-06:00One Thing I've Noticed.......is that the longer a person goes without posting on their blog, the harder it is to get back into the swing of things.
I've written this post about a million times, and I haven't been satisfied with any of the drafts. Like I said, it's harder to get back into it after a stretch of time off.
Things have been going well here at the Barefoot Cottage. We survived the "end of the world" on Unknownnoreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-59461206026576833002012-10-22T10:39:00.000-05:002012-10-22T10:39:36.422-05:00My Latest Project
Here at Barefoot Cottage, we have a lot of disposable furniture. You know what I mean, the big box store presswood and laminate stuff that is fabulous if you move often or live in apartments. It's easy to move, pretty modular (so it fits in a variety of spaces), and relatively cheap.
I hate it. All of it. Every pressed sawdust inch of it. Every time I look at this stuff, I feel like this Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-50056894298782351512012-10-08T16:37:00.000-05:002012-10-08T16:37:32.532-05:00So Thankful2-3 days a week, my Sprouts are at school. That means I have most of a day all to myself. Me time, what a blessing!
I have a project in the works. Yesterday, Mr. Barefoot and I bought a china cabinet off Craigslist for $50. I know! That's a steal, right? It looks a bit dated, but the thing is sturdy as could be and will provide much needed storage in our tiny closet-less house.
After doing a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-7061358633597734422012-10-01T23:13:00.000-05:002012-10-01T23:13:27.132-05:00Homecoming WeekThis week is Homecoming Week at our local district, and the girls are to dress in a different way every day. My poor kids don't even own any clothing in the school colors, much less anything that would work for Neon Day or 80's Day, or whatever else the school has planned!
So Big Sprout was thinking out loud today about what she was going to do for the rest of the week. I did Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-84545638399180530382012-09-30T20:39:00.003-05:002012-09-30T20:39:51.797-05:00Ch-ch-ch-ch-changesTomorrow, Little Sprout begins her second month of Kindergarten. Two or three days a week, I get the house to myself for 7.5 hours. I thought at first that I would be a whirlwind of activity on these days. The freedom of being able to clean a room and have it stay clean for longer than a few minutes, the joy of being able to put on MY music and enjoy MY home....
It hasn't worked out that way, soUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-49150437555049133512012-07-08T19:39:00.000-05:002012-07-08T19:39:21.286-05:00I Read Too FastI learned to read early. Both my parents are avid readers, and they were patient enough to read to me often. I don't really remember learning to read, it seems like I always could. Some books were harder than others, but I don't ever remember feeling like I couldn't read something. The only question was if the story was interesting enough for me to put in the effort or not. There were plenty of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-591528209767995092012-07-01T17:28:00.003-05:002012-07-01T17:33:38.293-05:00It's Hot......and that's about it.
Really.
Life has been going on, without much to talk about. There is a line in "Legends of the Fall" where One Stab says something about how it's harder to talk about the happy times. Ahhh, here is the quote: It is hard to tell of happiness. Time goes by and we feel safe too soon." I guess this is what he was talking about.
Things are going well, though the gardens are Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-24799425868315468252012-06-22T16:47:00.001-05:002012-06-22T16:47:55.433-05:00The Folly Of Little SproutI love both my Sprouts, but some days I wonder if there is something terribly wrong with them.
Today, I question the general intelligence and sanity of Little Sprout. It has been a wild few days with her, and I should have known she was working up to one of her spectacular attempts to get attention.
I really should have known.
I should have been more aware of the danger when she sat so quietlyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-46115200868180142572012-06-03T09:59:00.001-05:002012-06-03T09:59:27.050-05:00Busy BeeWhew! I thought I was going to have loads of time to get things done once Mr. Barefoot's dad and nephew got here for their visit. I was wrong. So incredibly wrong.
I'm having a blast visiting, but I'm starting to get a little edgy. There is so much to do, and that little voice in my head keeps saying "hurry-hurry-hurry".
Today I am going to finally clean up my garden beds in hopes that I can Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-81822904788000157632012-05-31T08:50:00.000-05:002012-05-31T08:50:00.386-05:00Ooops! I Missed It AgainEvery year, I forget my "blogiversary". You know, the date when I first entered the wonderful world of blogging.
Don't feel bad. I forget my birthday and wedding anniversary most years, too.
I have been blogging here at Barefoot In The Garden for.... holy cow!.... 6 years. Whoda thunk it? My very first post was on May 29, 2006.
To all of you who have stuck around all this time... Thanks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-45969930969899111462012-05-30T08:40:00.001-05:002012-05-30T08:40:22.636-05:00It's Not All Sawdust And Power Tools
I know I've been full of talk about my building and home fix up projects, but that isn't all I have been doing with my time. I have also been crocheting up a storm! Crocheting is my favorite activity while I'm at work. I can have the radio on or TV going, and still have my hands busy. It's also something I can put away quickly if my clients wake up and need something.
I recently finished thisUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-60615521380848239592012-05-29T07:56:00.000-05:002012-05-29T07:56:24.458-05:00I Wish I Would Have Gotten A Picture!Big Sprout went to school dressed in Goth fashion this morning. Normally, she is the most un-fashion-conscious female teen I have ever met. As long as she isn't going to school naked, she is fine with whatever clothes she has. She even hates makeup.
For some reason, when a few of her friends suggested dressing "out of character" for the 3rd to last day of school, she jumped at the chance.
TodayUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-87264805166243389572012-05-27T20:46:00.000-05:002012-05-27T20:52:46.536-05:00Family/Guest Room
Alright, folks. Here we go. When we moved into Barefoot Cottage, the finished basement looked like this:
Notice my super fabulous picture taking skills.... not. ;-D Anyway. It was this strange L-shaped room you had to walk through to get into the laundry area and downstairs bathroom. This picture was actually taken from the doorway into the laundry area. If you were toUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-76068235837251857182012-05-27T19:37:00.000-05:002012-05-27T20:52:17.623-05:00Woot, Woot! Victory! (or) The Entry Before And After.... With PicturesI kicked. I screamed. I threw tantrums, cussed, made ultimatums. I even got so crazy as to check the manual and call customer service.
Turns out my phone has lived longer than anyone thought it would, and would cost way more to fix than to replace. So eventually I will replace it. In the meantime, I was able to convince it to take just a couple more pictures. So here we go... the Entry:
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-76897699417732742232012-05-25T09:02:00.000-05:002012-05-25T09:02:46.622-05:00The Beds Are InPaint is on the walls.
Beds are made, painted and in place. Bedding is on the beds.
Storage cube also made, painted and in place.
Shelves to be put up today, as well as built in desk for the computer.
Now all I have to do is clean. And clean. And clean.
I have 8 days.
I think I can do it.
Yesterday, Little Sprout informed me that I should lay in bed and read a good book. She is of the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-66528817355079306922012-05-23T10:51:00.000-05:002012-05-23T10:51:41.841-05:00Do Turtles Speak Chinese?
Photo Source
My Dad found a painted turtle in the yard, so he put it in a big bucket for Little Sprout to see. We told her we had to bring it to the river (about a mile away) and let it go right away, so it could find food and other turtle friends. Little Sprout seemed fine with it until we got to the river. All of a sudden the turtle was her very best friend in the whole world, and it Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-35570855412172420952012-05-22T12:07:00.001-05:002012-05-22T12:07:30.448-05:00I Know I Promised....... pics of the new entry.
I'm trying, folks, I really am. Unfortunately, my camera seems to be on strike. I'll keep working on it, really I will.
:-DUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-73984949153063719952012-05-20T22:46:00.000-05:002012-05-20T22:46:02.780-05:00Who Built This House, Anyway?!Oh, my friends, what a day I have had!
Today I attempted a down-and-dirty, low cost, quick fix makeover for our front entry. It bears little resemblance to the beautiful entryways I have been pinning on Pinterest, but it's a definite improvement over what we had.
The fun came in when I was trying to put up the shelves. Hollow wall anchors that didn't work, studs where no stud was before, studs Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-37134406007979002192012-05-16T15:28:00.000-05:002012-05-16T15:28:31.283-05:00Break TimeI did it again.
I got myself convinced that I live in HGTV world, where all home improvement projects are done in 50 minutes (tops), and end up perfectly. With that schedule, I should have been able to whip Barefoot Cottage into shape at least a week ago.
I forgot that on all those shows there is an entire crew working off camera, getting things done. I also forgot that those shows are shot Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-52455045654343824392012-05-15T09:59:00.000-05:002012-05-15T09:59:58.832-05:00Unexpected DelayMy Sprouts are hard on Barefoot Cottage.
Let me rephrase that: Little Sprout is hard on Barefoot Cottage.
Little Sprout has colored on walls, painted nail polish on the walls/carpet/her eyelids (ohmygosh!), and put various dings and dents in just about every wall. My plan for this week involved painting our basement family/guest room, so yesterday I patched a rather large dent that had Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-33489032285483003282012-05-14T10:22:00.000-05:002012-05-14T10:22:22.120-05:00Don't WorryI'm not disappearing again. I just have a lot of projects that need finishing in the next 2 weeks, and I'm BUSY!!!
:-DUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-74017452796864443182012-05-10T23:11:00.000-05:002012-05-10T23:29:43.251-05:00Just For TodayI have recently (within the year) been introduced to the concept of "just for today". Sometimes I make it "just for the next ten minutes", but the idea is the same.
For years, I have tried to change myself. I have tried to be tidier and more organized. I have tried to be more patient. I have tried to be quieter. I have tried to be more (insert just about every desirable quality here) and less (Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-24743179864805336022012-05-08T11:04:00.000-05:002012-05-08T11:04:40.065-05:00The Quick, Cheap Bathroom Redo
When we bought Barefoot Cottage (hehe, see how I snuck that re-naming in there?), the only shower was in the basement bathroom. I wish I had "before" pictures to show you. It was hideous. Luckily for me, the shower pan cracked, and the surround started peeling off the walls. While Mr. Barefoot and I were discussing replacements, I asked if it would be possible to put a tub/shower combo in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28932372.post-32178554489258125842012-05-07T09:57:00.000-05:002012-05-07T09:57:37.956-05:00Opposites (Apparently) Attract
Mr. Barefoot and I have recently begun (slooooooowly) making over our beloved Barefoot Manor. Well, Barefoot Cottage, really, because we don't have enough space to really call it a "manor". We're in the very beginning stages right now, just fixing up a few things that absolutely NEEDED fixing before Mr. Barefoot's dad and nephew come to visit at the end of the month. Stay tuned for posts on our Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3