Restless

These things seem very charming to me right now.

I'm dying to be creative. My garden is fun, but it's just sparked more of a desire to get my hands on new projects. I especially want to sew. I have a machine, thread, and great fabric. Now I need the skills. I'm scared to try, though... I had a bad experience involving a sewing machine and newspaper as a little girl...

Another something I'm looking forward to trying is canning and preserving. My friend, Kate, from my ward, brought me the most delicious peach jelly that she had canned and it was like heaven on buttered bagels. I am now convinced that I need to acquire the tools necessary to do this new craft and learn it as quickly as possible. My kitchen can not be complete without a pressure cooker and canning equipment. It simply can not. I also need a vacuum sealer, in case anyone's out shopping for me.

I really need to make a Williams-Sonoma run.

It's Spring-time for all you who do not know. I think this is the problem. Spring means a change in weather, which means all the windows are open in my house, which means fresh air, which goes straight to my brain. Things smell clean and fresh which makes me want a similar change. My interior environment wants to match my exterior environment. Unfortunately, on a student budget, this is hard to create. I did get some window boxes yesterday to hang along my railing outside, but this is still just an ammendment to the outdoors. What can I do inside? Ideas appreciated. Send me links to cool sites where I can get some cheap ideas. The only one I really know of is designspongeonline.com, which is pretty cool, but is starting to all look the same. Of course, there's always Martha Stewart and her perfect little crafts.

In sad news, my azalea is on its way out. I am trying to let it die gracefully, but it keeps shedding all its beautiful green leaves. I have done all I could for it. I have researched many hours and ammended soils, pruned limbs, unbound roots, repotted, fertilized... what more can a novice gardener do with a tropical plant in Utah? Sad little thing.