I don’t know what it is about bark…. but man oh man it sure makes me happy.
We had a very loooooong and wet winter. It was depressing. Even for someone who has lived in Western Washington practically their entire life. Getting outside to do ANYTHING was a bit of a struggle with grey skies and rain looming overhead practically everyday. But with the nice weather we’ve been having lately… I think we’ve turned a corner.
On sunday I had the boys pick up 2 yards of bark. Or mulch as some people call it.
The piles of orange goodness all over the backyard brought a smile to my face.
And to Pinky and the girls as well. I mean look at them. Sure a sandy beach in Florida would be nice, but hey a patch of bark in my backyard is pretty cool too when you’ve got steel legs and a plastic molded body. Don’t you think they compliment the oregano well?
The bark just makes everything in the garden POP. Once the lavender, hydrangeas and shasta daisy plants start blooming it will look spectacular.
Oh, and that empty space behind the garden boxes… anyone care to guess what I’ll be putting there? It has something to do with my goal #2 for 2017. 
It should be arriving later this week and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!!!
Have a great tuesday everyone, enjoy the sunshine.
~Mavis
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Quote of the Day “Sometimes getting out of bed ruins the whole day.” Lucy the Puggle Dog
What’s the weather like in YOUR neck of the woods today? Sunshine, Rain, Snow? I’d love to know.
This has not been the “normal” week just because it’s Spring break. I did some cooking earlier but we have only eaten one prepared meal. So I have most of next week already done….sweet! I spent $140 at Costco (remember I only go every other week now). I forgot to take that picture again! Sorry.
HB boy also wanted Dungeness crab but I told him it wasn’t on the list and if he REALLY wanted it he could buy it with his own money… he gave me the $20. I did pay the $0.61. It was for two crabs and he is eating one now as I write. I think he will grow up to be a chef, professional baseball player, ;), or a lawyer. I swear he could do them all.
At FM I spent $64.43. I wasn’t able to go earlier in the morning so there wasn’t much at all that I wanted in the clearance bins. That’s a tactic I could use to avoid that temptation, but I missed the hunt. I did use two FM ecoupons and I did find can beans on sale two for a dollar. So I stocked up on those. I got my FM freebie from last week; a LaraBar, never had one. I didn’t realize that you can get it any day of the week if you LOAD it on Friday. However, I forgot to load this week’s Jello gummies. So I will have to sit that one out.
This week I am making muffins, blueberry for HB boy and banana chocolate chip for HB girl. A roast, I just browned this one with olive oil after dreading in flour and seasonings. Cooked in crock pot without the liquids etc. and served with buttermilk mashed potatoes and peas.
I also 
As you can see we won’t be taking this dish though… This is my normal cook mode, burn baby burn. It was so chard that I couldn’t even give it to the chickens. That cost me about $8. Oops! Now I might have to break down and get that other dish at the grocery store unless I can get creative with what other stuff I have …”.stomping feet and whining” because I wanted that dish!
Oh boy!!! hold onto your knickers …. it’s time to reveal the new chicken pen! Tada! So exciting ! You will notice that the gate is not completed. Chino the Handyman has agreed to barter with me a build a gate. I offered him some money (I insisted) and 3 dozen fresh eggs. He can have a lifetime supply if he wants!
I also purchased a bed for our travel kennel for the adorable black lab you have been seeing. He participates with HB girl in 4H and we use that a lot during 4H shows. It was $24.99 and HB pup will be a lot more comfortable with a new pad. A small price to pay for his aging bones.
Albertsons $3.58
Winco $36.96
Costco $53.27
Panera – I used one of my birthday gift cards
Date night with the HH $40
The salad was ordinary, and bruschetta although tasty, was rather unusual. It was basically a giant piece of toasted french bread with halved cherry tomatoes and parmesan on a bed of greens. I don’t know, I kind of think bruschetta should be bite size, not let’s move this to my plate and eat it in 4 bites with a fork and a knife type of thing. After growing up on bruschetta from 