A weekend full of spring things

The best part of today is having the windows open. It's really windy today, which means the curtains are dancing around. I absolutely love it. (Well, not necessarily the high winds but if you use your imagination, you can trick yourself into thinking it sounds like the ocean). Ironically, I am spending most of today inside as my allergies are acting up. But I am okay with staying inside for now. After all, it's nice enough to finally open the house up after months of wind being way too cold. It did snow last Sunday. So who knows if we are out of the woods yet, but I would like to think so.

This weekend has been full of spring things.  I finally was able to spread manure on my garden, which this year, is behind my house. Game changer. All I did was get it ready and hopefully this week my landlord (who offered) will till it into the soil. That way, for sure by next weekend, I can plant spinach and onions. Usually at this point of the garden year I worry too much about whether or not I am planting too late. This year, I don't seem to care as much. It will get in the ground soon enough. Maybe living so close to my garden makes it feel way less like a big deal and more like something I occasionally go outside to do. I even bought a soaker hose. Another game changer.

Every summer, I make a "summer bucket list." Most of it centers on food (mostly making ice cream and popsicles). I recently realized, however, that I am going about this summer bucket list all wrong. In Kansas, now is the time to start enjoying outdoor, warm weather things (before things turn into fire from hell temperatures and I go back to wanting to do nothing and never going outside). I fully intend to make another summer bucket list this year, but I have already started doing things that make me get out and enjoy the season. Hopefully, whenever summer arrives with its guns blazing, I won't feel as gipped.

Here are my spring things from this weekend

1. On Thursday evening, I cleaned out my "potting shed" and got pretty jazzed about the gardening season. Mostly, there are a ton of plant pots out there. I am hoping I can find cheap flowers and herbs to put into all of them and dress up my deck a little bit. I think I am more excited about that than my actual garden.

2. This is totally an indoor activity but it definitely counts. On Friday morning, my friend, Amy, and I went to our favorite place, the Reverie in Wichita, and worked all morning long. I was doing MCC stuff and she was working on photography things for her business. It was so nice to change things up. Plus I love that place so much. It has all the good coffee and all the best vibes.

3. I haven't been able to exercise for real because of my hip. (Even yoga has a tendency to "flare it up.)" As an alternative, I've been going on late afternoon walks after work. I typically listen to The Splendid Table podcast, dream about being a skilled cook, and walk. I realize this really makes me sound like a grandma, but I have really enjoyed this time as it allows me to watch spring arrive to Kansas. It's so lovely. (Hip update: I am getting an MRI on Tuesday). And I don't feel guilty about not running.

4. Last summer, I could not wait for it to cool off so I could have dinner parties on my deck and use my twinkle lights. So last night, Levent and I had his friends over for a cook out. Even though it still feels a little too cool for these types of activities, I now own a very well loved and rusty fire pit, which we gathered around in the later part of the evening. It was really nice to sit outside, eat crappy grilled food (brats! love it) and drink wine. Plus it gives me a reason to bust out my vintage trays and make fancy desserts. Speaking of which...

Also, shout out to 2nd hand things. I got all these items featured here at the Newton Et Cetera Shop and garage sales

5. I cannot explain where this comes from, but I have recently decided I want to be a master of making cakes. I've been reading up on how to frost a cake (and how to not make it look like the leaning tower of Pisa). Since we were having people over, I decided to make a funfetti layer cake from scratch. Overall, I give it a solid B. (I think I am still over mixing my cake batter). But it did not lean in any direction. That definitely counts as a victory and I loved every second of it. I think my sudden interest in The Splendid Table podcast has stirred by baking creatively, and for some reason, it has manifested itself solely into cake making, at least for now. The trick will be to balance this with trying to stay on a reasonable grocery budget (see note about the MRI) and not wanting to gain 100 pounds. Good luck to us all.

It took a lot of motivation not to eat this for breakfast this morning

Ah, I really love being home. I am trying hard to not get ahead of myself and think of all the sucky work things I have coming up that will take me far away once again. Oh well. I am enjoying this weekend to the fullest.