Patio Improvements and More!

Ok, so that's a pretty boring title.  But this weekend was not boring. And this post will not be boring.  Promise!

First things first, this weekend held some fun times.  On Saturday, I visited Berkeley Rep's annual costume and prop sale, which was even bigger this year because they're about to move out of their warehouse.  I scored a really cute pair of black heels (and I have been a woman on a mission lately, looking for cute black heels that are less than 2" high) for just $1.  Barely worn, super cute.  I also went home with a great rocking chair. It could use a new coat of paint, and I'm hoping to weatherproof it so that I can use it outside.  I suppose it was only a matter of time before Young House Love inspired me to take on a project of my own.

Le chair. The sticker on the seat? It said $50.
And the $50 was crossed out to say $25.
But they only charged me $5, because they
are awesome. Because they love me?  :)

Close-up on the funky flowers-and-fruit design on
the top of the seat. It may get painted over. 

But this weekend was not just about some bargain theatre shopping, no! Will had decided to have a little BBQ for some hockey folks (it's the playoffs, y'all. so many games to watch!), and I had to stop by OSH for some charcoal and a meat thermometer.  While I was there, I stocked up on soil and flowers and got all stoked to do some gardening later in the day (side note: I love this OSH. And Ellen, who works in the gardening department, is the best, most helpful person ever).

OSH was selling "color bowls", which are basically just a
bunch of flowers planted in a bowl. But it was so pretty, and
it was, like, $12.99. I just stuck it in the pot that used to have
zucchinis before they all died.  Instant garden!

I bought all of these to plant in one of the half wine barrel
planters I bought recently. But I ran out of soil, so they're
still sitting in their pots from the nursery. How long can
they stay there? A week? More? Less? Help?

Since we were in Berkeley (Will was working on campus), we stopped by the fabulous Berkeley Bowl for groceries. I haven't been there in months, and I had almost forgotten how wonderful it is. Especially in the springtime. Aisles upon aisles of fresh fruits and vegetables. It feels so good to have a fridge full of good stuff. Mmm. Stuff.

The BBQ was a success, full of friends and kids. While we don't have kids, many of our friends do, and our house is pretty kid-friendly. We have coloring books and Connect 4, and this time, we had a few big pieces of bubble wrap for the kids to jump around on out on the patio. And when the kids got really bored, I had them help me with the gardening.  General rule of thumb when dealing with kids: if you make it sound like a fun project, they'll probably want to help. Wheels successfully screwed onto the larger of the two half wine barrel planters, it was time to plant a lemon tree!  The kids really liked helping me with the dirt, and it was seriously fun.

Our little lemon tree in its new home.
It looks slightly different back here than it did before?

A little bonus rosemary, with a white flower whose name I
have forgotten. It appears in my color bowl, and it grows here
on its own, like a weed but pretty.
Ellen at OSH told me its name and I promptly forgot it.
I've never been good with names.

We BBQ'd again tonight, since it was nice out and we had some chicken sausages and veggies in the fridge. BBQ'd sweet white onions...heaven. Because the condo was a bit messy after last night's party, we spent some time cleaning up, which always makes me happy anyway. The floor has been swept and mopped, the laundry has been started, the trash has been taken out, the kitchen is clean, the bedroom has been straightened up. I separated old gym clothes into keepers (Google tshirts and other "keepsake" type of shirts) and Goodwill (a whole bag's worth of stretched out/no longer fitting pants). Even the linen closet is tidy - it's pretty nice in here right about now!  And while I didn't get to buy the soil I needed (would you believe that each half wine barrel requires 3 cubic feet of soil!?) because the garden store was closed, I got a pedicure and did some light grocery shopping, and tonight, I'm feeling pretty good, like I'm ready to tackle this week.

Though I may still cave and hire someone to clean the tub.