What a nice weekend.  A perfect mix of chores and fun times.  Enough to make us feel like we could check a few things off the old to-do list, while also avoiding that whole awful “where did my weekend go?” type of feeling.

One of the highlights is that we managed to plant a couple of boxwoods in our front garden bed.  Landscaping is such an expensive endeavor, so we only tackle a couple of things each year to keep the costs manageable.  Last year we purchased a variety of small conifers to add to our front garden beds.  A couple of them didn’t make it from the extreme heat and drought of last year, but the others seem to be doing OK.  Today we added 2 boxwoods to our front garden to help visually “anchor” our house to the landscape.  We live in a splt-entry home, which requires good landscaping so that it doesn’t look like a shoebox sticking awkwardly out of the soil.  The boxwoods will grow to be about 3-4 feet tall and will spread out a bit to conceal our foundation and add some green in the winter months.  We have a variety of colorful perennial flowers flanking the boxwoods, so once all of our plants grow in this season, we should have a good idea of how things will look going forward.

I have so many outdoor projects that I want to tackle, and only so much time, energy, and money to devote to them.  I have plans to add some additional garden beds to the backyard, and eventually add a stone patio off our deck which will feature a fire pit.  I’d love to get rid of our cement walkway in the front yard (it’s a major trip hazard at the moment, in addition to offending every Feng Shui principle on the planet).  I want to replace our concrete walkway with a curved stone path that is flanked by greenery.  And yes, I would love, love, love to be able to do all of this myself.  One day.

There’s also so many indoor projects I want to attempt.  I’ve been dying to learn a new needlework technique (new to me!) called Bargello.  Bargello has an interesting history—I believe it originated in Hungary (maybe around the 1500s?) and was later picked up by artisans in Italy.  The artform was popular during the 1970s, but is not currently in vogue, although I anticipate this will change.  I’ve been scouring the Internets for good needlework kits that I could use to sort of introduce myself to the technique, but they are hard to come by.  Most of the kits are vintage and are therefore overpriced on Ebay.  But I’m sure I’ll be able to work something out.  I also want to learn to work with wood–I’d love to create cubbies and benches for our mudroom, and if I’m super crafty, create bookcases for our living room.  So much to learn!  So little time!  And basically no energy.

I have plans to ride my bike every evening after the kids are in bed, now that sweet, sweet, spring is finally here.  I have plans to spend loads of time at the park with the kids (now that Emery can climb the small play structure and find his way down the slide!!)  I have plans to keep a small container garden on my deck, since my overly shaded yard is essentially unfit to grow vegetables.  I plan to cook good meals this summer, drink local beers and wines, socialize with friends, and spend time hiking, kayaking, and camping.  I plan to do some light networking with whoever, because I don’t have a plan, and it’s all just talking anyway, isn’t it?  I plan to go to my job, do the best I can, and try to take things one day at a time.  I have a few goals for work, but I don’t feel very serious about them because my boss likes to change directions on things rapidly and without apparent reason, so really, why bother?  I’d like to read some good fiction this summer, but pretty much every novel I’ve tried to read in 2013, I have not been able to finish out of complete lack of interest.  I’m open to suggestions for some good summer reading!  (and it doesn’t have to be exclusively fiction!)

So yes, things are looking up. I feel like I have things to look forward to, for the first time in a while.