Surprise!

So I came home the other day and there was a guy working on the front of the house. I couldn't figure out what was going on - we had no scheduled work set up, so I was perplexed. Well, it turns out, that we had just set up roofing work and new shutters two days before, and our shutters were in stock, so they just installed them! I had a message on my machine when I went in, but what a nice surprise!

We had about 10 estimates for the roofing and shutters and initially had a hard time finding roofers who would give us an estimate for the repair vs. doing the whole roof. We also had a run of people who came over but never sent an estimate. In this economy I think that's a little stupid frankly. We finally decided upon a company to do both, and apparently we made a good choice - they are fast and efficient!

I just noticed today that our roofing materials are on top of our garage - i didn't notice them before so I am assuming they came today. The sunroom roof and the tie in to the main house will be re-roofed tomorrow, and our dining room ceiling will be leak free!

Meanwhile, i am thinking about the spring and have started planting seeds. The peppers are first to plant as they need a good 8-10 weeks of indoor time before we can move the transplants outside. I also planted stevia, which is a natural sweetener. This is a first for me so I am curious to see how it turns out. It is supposed to be warm this weekend, so I know i will be chomping at the bit too get the veggie and herb gardens planned out. It i s like a sickness - gardening brings such joy and work, and is so satisfying, but in the months where you feel like you can't do anything towards the garden, it is really hard to not get antsy!

I'd like to have some herbs and flowers in the front yard, and maybe a little culinary herb garden in the back by the deck. The main veggie garden will go on the side of the yard. I am concerned about the deer and other critters, but we will deal with that hurdle as it gets warm enough to dig to put in posts and fences.

Inside, we are still lacking a completed bathroom, so that is on my list of priorities. We've cut the countertop for the hall bath upstairs, but still need to cut the sink opening. I'm hoping to get that in this weekend, and then we can do the medicine cabinet and lights in there as well. A coat of paint and we will be close. At least it will look more complete!

On a completely different note, we have signed up for hypnobirthing classes which start in a few weeks. When Peanut was born, we did Bradley class and really learned a lot about childbirth and how things were supposed to go. Anyone in the know is aware of the 90 hour labor and two hours of pushing that had to occur before little Peanut decided to emerge. I'm thinking we need a new way with this one, and I had heard some good things about the relaxation and calm births with hypnobirthing.

This green path has taken me to so many places - it has changed the way we eat and build, garden and play. It only makes sense that it changes the way we have children and how we care for them and ourselves.