I am what I am

And what I am is a Treasure Hunter.  Who knew?!  I really didn't.  I swear. (or maybe I just never thought about it before) When I hear the term "Treasure Hunter," I think of Cari Cucksey of HGTV's Cash and Cari, or the guys from American Pickers.  However, when you start getting giddy because of a dilapidated old ornate frame you grabbed from someones trash pile in downtown Boston, I guess maybe that could be considered a qualifier to be called a Treasure Hunter. Just maybe.

I can only imagine what used to be displayed in this frame in its hey day (random side note- I was curious about the origin/meaning of that term.  Thanks to the good ol' interweb, I discovered where it came from).  The story that I've created for it is that it housed a custom painted formal family portrait which was passed down the generations and moved to a new frame when this one fell into disrepair.

Anyway, back to reality.  This frame is actually 3 pieces that were once solidly attached together with hand-forged nails.  Each piece looks like a frame on its own and they are no longer solidly bonded (if at all), so that's how they might find themselves into my house- 3 awesome refurbished antique frames.  They need a lot of love and repair, but how can you beat the price of FREE.  If I can't save them, the worst that will happen is that they'll end up in the trash they were originally destined for.

This discovery was on Friday (thanks to a coworkers keen powers of observation).  It occurred to me over the weekend that I may actually be considered a "Treasure Hunter."  That find last week made my day.  Any normal person wouldn't get so excited but I guess I'm far from normal in that respect (no comments from the peanut gallery on that one please).  I'm still elated over the vintage wire paper tray I discovered at an estate sale a few weeks ago.  Yup, I'm a special breed of crazy.  I blame it on my parents.

I started tag-sale-ing with them at a young age.  My first memory of going to a tag sale was probably around the age of 6.  I vaguely remember going with my parents and Grandpa and I picked out a small but horrific stuffed animal that was probably a carnival or vending machine prize.  I was SO excited to spend 25 cents on this 'treasure.'  Flash forward to 21 years later.  My tastes have evolved a bit, but the giddy kid in me is still looking for treasures.

map from Etsy via Pinterest

Veggie Garden- Phase 1

What's a better use to a beautiful long weekend than planting (or starting) a veggie garden?! This has been a long time coming, starting with pulling some bushes out in the beginning of April when we still needed gloves outside.   The previous owners of the house had a small vegetable garden in the side yard, but we had bigger ideas.  With the magnitude (time and cost) of our plans, we're working on it in phases.

Phase 1 is finally complete and included pulling up a few sad bushes, digging up and leveling the area a bit, adding 1 raised planting bed and planting tomatoes and a few other plants we had received as gifts.

Phase 2 will probably be in a few weeks and include another planting bed, more plants, and maybe a compost bin.

Phase 3 will be bigger (and probably not this summer) and will include pulling out the remaining bushes and adding 1-2 more planting beds, giving us a total of 3 or 4 planting beds along the entire span of the house.

______________________________________

So, back to Phase 1.

I neglected to take a "Before" picture before we tore last year's dead morning glories off the fence.  Mom was a little eager to get her hands on those eyesores.  Here's the "Before" sans dead vines.

Cheery, right?  No? oh.

After we attacked the offending bushes and raked up winter's aftermath, it looked a little better.  Instead of looking dead and depressing, it looked sparse and a little less depressing:

Now that its warm (although being in New England, I'm still not convinced that next week won't be freezing), we decided it was time to move to the next part of our plan.  Veggies!

You like Hubby's cheesy digging pose?

Drum roll please.....................

Here's the after:

I know, one small 4x4 planter is a little small for the space, but baby steps here!  It won't be lonely for long.  The ultimate plan will also include a stone path around the 3 or 4 planters and mulching the remaining side yard.

Before you yell at me for not taking care of all the weeds by the fence, most are the beginning of this year's morning glories (I hope), so I'm seeing what happens there.

I also found a few non-biodegradable vintage 'treasures.'

I think I'm going to put them in a box with my gorgeous old electrical box.  I can't bring myself to get rid of this stuff even if it is junk.  It somehow ties to the history of our house and I'm crazy fascinated.

Because I'm Crazy

This week has been a countdown of last minute projects leading up to our housewarming on Sunday.  The 9to5 has been pretty quiet the past few days, giving me plenty of time to think about my To Do list (not a safe pastime). After creating a checklist yesterday and banging out a few things on the list and crossing off another (no, Self, you do NOT have time to sew curtains for the bedroom before Sunday), I decided it needed a place to be seen so I would stay on track.  I debated all evening if I really wanted to be this crazy, but I decided that I did.  Don't judge.

Yup.  I totally taped my To Do list and a pen to the wall by the stairs where I would see it.  I figured this way, I couldn't ignore the list, and it would motivate me to want to cross items off the list over the next 3 days.

Can't say Hubby is too happy with my temporary wall art, but he's smart enough to let it be until Sunday.

What crazy habits keep you on track and motivated when you're working toward a goal?