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Hello Friends! Oh man, it’s cold over here! As a life long Minnesotan, I’ve never experienced cold like this. Besides taking the trash out, I have not been outside for the three days. Here in Minnesota, the temperatures are insane, if you haven’t heard we’ve been experiencing wind chill temperatures hovering around -45º. The house is uncomfortably dry, the outside air temp is so extreme that our second floor is too hot, and our main floor is too cold. I’m trying to regulate the temperature by using a electric space heater (something I’ve never had to do before) and have been boiling pots of water on the reg to add moisture back into the air. It’s all kind of nuts and surreal.
One of our cars isn’t starting and I can feel the beginnings of another cold virus coming on. Being pent up like this makes me so antsy. I want to start projects but don’t have any plans, just lots and lots of ideas floating around my head. This of course, makes me feel incredibly overwhelmed and I quickly jump to the conclusion that my life is out of control. I know, it sounds a little crazy, but if I can’t have a handle on the regular day-to-day stuff, nothing seems possible. I have always had a knee jerk reaction to the changing of the seasons, but this year it’s caught me by surprise. I’m feeling a bit depressed, and isolated, and am waiting desperately for something to lift me up.
Finn’s school is cancelled today, and we are hanging out with our little friend, Elsa. Her school is cancelled too, and it’s good for us all to have the distraction of a friend to hang with. We’re ordering pizza for lunch, and have the first three Star Wars movies queued up. It’ll be alright.
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I really am trying to make the most of it, but I think I need something in my space that gives me hope and brings me happiness. When I look around my space I long for more greenery. Plants bring so much life to a space, especially here in these northern states. I am desperate for it, and am planning a trip to the nursery later this week when the temperatures warm up and I can make it safely home with a few new plant finds. Guys, I just can’t even wait, I’m so excited about it! Is that weird, that plants could make someone so excited with anticipation? In the meantime, I will continue to organize and plan for new ways to make our space fresh and new. From past experience doing these two things, adding lush plants and organizing makes long winter days bearable.
Agreed. I like to take long walks through Bachmann’s in the winter.
Me too! The kids used to like going with me because they would check out the fountains and the koi fish, but now they are too old and cool for that distraction. It takes a lot of convincing and negotiating to get them in the car with me. I’m gonna do it though!
Right there with you. I recently decided our house needs plants, since we don’t have pets anymore (bad experience with two kittens, potted plant, a cherry coke and some beige rental carpet). I am totally new at the indoor plant thing. I really want a fiddle leaf. Our house gets amazing light so hopefully I can keep them alive and keep my three yr old out of them :). Pretty stoked about a brass plant stand I got at a peddlers mall a few weeks back. So if anything, my plants will have a neat looking place to shrivel up and die. Can’t wait to see what you get!
Ha, I lol’d at your comment – “nice looking place to shrivel up and die”. I used to think I had a green thumb, but lately it seems like I kill half of what I bring home. I think the kids distract me from watering when I should.
In other news, I have two fiddle leaf figs and they are tough for me. So many people say they are soooo easy, but they are not, at least not for me. The first one I got at IKEA last March, it is doing great actually, but it took a long time to get it to do great. After losing almost all it’s leaves I moved it to our upstairs porch – since then it has been happy and has grown quite a bit.
Then I purchased another one when container plants were on sale at the flower store. It did great all summer long, and then there was the day that I decided to paint the radiator. I opened all the windows for ventilation on a 40º day, and think it shocked my fiddle leaf quite a bit. It started dropping leaves within a week and ever since then it has been a delicate balance of light and water. It’s still dropping leaves, but it has slowed down. I am hoping it will make a full recovery and start sprouting new leaves again in the spring. I had to move it up to our bright sunny south facing room for the winter and it seems to be happy there. It did not like the porch like the other one does. These things are divas I tell you.
That was a lot of info about my plants, but there you have it. Fiddle leaf figs are stressful, but totally beautiful and worth it. You should get one and have something extra to worry about like I do ;)
Plants are a huge cheer me up as well. Our climate is grey, rainy and bleak so green plants are definitely a must! Hope it warms up soon for you and the kids!
Plant shopping is going to commence in T-minus 2 hours, can’t wait. Plus it’s gonna be 30º today, I’m ecstatic! Have a cool weekend!
how could I love these stacked and rolling plant shelves any more? Impossible! I’m coveting them even though i don’t keep plants indoors. just lovely!
I know, right? I covet them all too. You could always add a plant cart to your outdoor garden scene.
I hear ya! Nothing like a little greenery to remind us that warmer temps are eventually coming! My new greenery obsession is succulents! I’m kind of a succulent hoarder of sorts. Everytime I find a new one that I don’t already have, I have to snatch it up! The problem is that we only have two south facing windows and the windowsills are full! LOL! Would love to see what you ended up getting for greenery!
Mindy! Green is the best medicine, isn’t it? What is your trick for succulents? I always have to end up replacing half of them after about a year – I have one spot in my house where they seem to thrive. I think one of my planters got too crowded over the summer and the whole lot of them died.