Hello, Monday {Hit Refresh}

Hola! It's the last Monday of the month, and though it's hard to believe, by this time next week I'll be all done with this intense month and its challenges.  Next Saturday, my Odyssey of the Mind team will compete in their Regional competition in Palm Springs.  Unless they place in the top 2 or 3 for their category (which would take nothing short of a miracle)  we'll be DONE. ALL DONE.

You know when your kids drive you bazonkers and you can barely refrain from knocking their sweet heads together in frustration? Yeah. That's been my life for the last two months, two or three times a week, except with only 1 of my own kids, and three other little beasties darlings.

Anyway. Being done with this long chapter of the school year (we've been meeting since early September) makes me feel like hitting the "Refresh" button on life in general, and my house and garden in particular.  Spring is on the way.

Hello (goodbye) Ugly Fixture:

So I have these builder-grade ceiling-mount lights all over my house.  We've lived here almost 9 years, and I haven't changed out a single one. But the far one directly over my desk has burned out a couple of bulbs, and the Husband says the wiring is a total mess & fire hazard and needs to be replaced.  It's been non-functioning for the whole month.

Yesterday we went to Ikea (what was that I said about wanting to knock my kids' noggins together in frustration?) and picked out a new fixture. I hope I like it; but certainly it can't look any worse. I think we have something like 8 of these darn fixtures throughout the house. Replacing them all at once would be pricey. (But worth it.)

Hello, Garden

These hardy purple daisy-like bushes are the only thing blooming in my backyard right now. They soldier on, despite the hard-packed dirt that passes for soil in the flowerbed.  I really need to give some attention to this section of our yard.  For all my good ideas for the interior, I have a really hard time imagining what to do with our outdoor spaces.

Hello, Garden (?)

For instance, take this little rectangle of dirt. I believe the former owners used this as some sort of pitching/practice mound for their son.  Again, in the almost 9 years since we've owned our house, I haven't figured out what to do with it.  A few years ago, the Husband threw a date seed in the dirt, and lo! Now we have a date palm.  A couple years back, I laid out an outdoor rug and a plastic Adirondack chair (this area gets shady in the late afternoon), but that didn't last. Ideally, I'd like to plant a small vegetable garden out here.  Tucker, my burgeoning vegetarian, would love it! But again, I have zero idea on how to begin.

Hello, Outdoor Seating

On the other hand, I know precisely what I'd like to do with our outdoor table: clean it up & sell it! And buy a new, comfortable sectional that we would actually sit on and enjoy.  For all our great weather, we rarely eat outside. For one, our area gets a lot of flies in the summer, and two...we'll we're just lazy and don't think about it.  But a sectional with a couple side tables and a small firepit? Yeah. I think we'd be out here a lot more.

So that's just some of the ways I want to hit the "Refresh" button around here and get ready for spring & summer.  (And I didn't even get to the front porch.)  So many idea...so little moola.  I'll just have to get creative.

Speaking of which, wish me luck for next Saturday! Odyssey is all about being creative and thinking outside the box. Which, given the talents of the kids on my team, should be a no-brainer. And yet.... 

Linking up with Lisa Leonard for Hello, Mondays.