Lowe's | Peaches Prattlings

{May 19, 2024} Another Project: Flowerbox Edition

So…the house in PA, as you know, we’ve been doing some renovations since we bought the house. The latest project I’ve been thinking about for a while and now that I found my flowers, I was ready to put it into action!

So…there is a flower box that is right outside the front door, it’s about hip high, well, my hips, I’m not that tall! And there was a metal box in it that, at some point, must have held some flowers, but when we bought the house, just dirt. Every so often, I would go out there and pick the weeds, and if I picked any weeds from the front yard, sometimes I would put them there as a holding place.

Well…I have these metal and ceramic flowers I got at different festivals and when I used to sell home decor and they have traveled house to house to house, state to state to state, and now… they have a home, outside of a jar on my desk!

First, I removed the metal flower box that was in the brick structure, the bottom was rotted out, so it wasn’t too difficult. I took out all the dirt, well, as much as I could, there were two concrete structures, like stacked cinderblocks inside, and some loose bricks. I removed as much dirt and put 2 of the loose bricks in between the cinderblocks. Then….I needed some filler.

So…love my husband…we stopped at Lowe’s, picked up some EZ Sand. This is the type of sand that is fast setting and gets into the cracks and crevices. We needed to ensure that nothing would work against the foundation and maybe crack one day. We also picked up some black recycled rubber tire mulch, I love this stuff! It’s a little more expensive than regular mulch or pine bark, but…it lasts about 10-12 years and all you have to do, if you’re using it as regular mulch in your flower beds, maybe fluff it up every few years.

Then we stopped at Michael’s to look for foam bricks. I found some and bought more than I needed, they were $2.50 for a set of 4, you cannot beat those prices at Michael’s! There are different types of foam bricks, there are the dry foam, for silk floral arrangements and more, then wet foam, that’s for live floral arrangements, what I got is hard Styrofoam, not as easily broken.

So…back to the house with our haul. Well, after a few other destinations, but home eventually. Since the flowerbox was empty, I filled in all the nooks and crannies with the sand. It’s so cool to watch the sand fill in, especially where there were little gaps and holes, swoop!

After the sand, then came the foam bricks. PSM and I cut the bricks down so they weren’t in too tight and could move around.

Then…the rubber mulch, it looks so much cleaner!

And finally… the flowers! Don’t they look fabulous?! I have one more ceramic flower…when I was testing them at first, of course, out of all the flowers I dropped, it had to be one of the breakable ones! These things have lived in more places than some people and I go to put it out and it breaks, ugh! Gotta love Gorilla Glue! Or something strong like that!

I’m considering putting some grass in there, but I think it looks good, clean, but who knows, I might change my mind if I find the right grass, I don’t want to overpower the flowers. Also…I am on the lookout for flowers to add, but they have to be special and just right, something hand made and makes you smile.

Another project done…Flowerbox Edition!

Enjoy and good night!

{January 13, 2024} A jam packed day!

Breakfast, hardware store, hardware store, haircut, hardware store, coffee shop, hardware store, paint store, brewery, home, move stuff, dog walk, rest. Oh my!

What a day! PSM let me sleep in and took the dogs for a long walk, it was great, I slept in until about 8am. Much needed after not falling asleep until about 330am, go figure. Even though I got about the same amount of sleep I normally do, there’s something about waking up on your own, no alarm, and after the sun comes up.

After bagels, we went to Harbor Freight to pick up a power screwdriver and craft desk/workbench for me and some drill bits for PSM. We were there the other day and I saw this Yukon, Three Drawer Hardwood Bench and I thought it would be perfect for my art studio. Something I’ll tell you about another time! I love it! The studio and the workbench! Not exactly looking forward to putting it together, but now that I have a new power screwdriver, I’m ready to go! I am now the proud owner of the bench and a Warrior Cordless Screwdriver Kit! Who’s with me getting excited about power tools?!

Next was Lowe’s to purchase the tile we were looking at for the kitchen renovation that starts on Monday, oh my! They had three boxes left, we needed five, go figure…but we found an associate to take the boxes down and found out that they had two more boxes at another location, score! The nice thing…we had appointments for hair cuts across the way, we’ll be back soon.

Across to Great Clips, we’re not fancy-schmancy folks when it comes to getting our hair cut. PSM does miss Sports Clips in St Louis, it was mostly the neck massage he misses. I used to go there too, since I like an almost high and tight, clippers work for me. But…we used to go to Great Clips as well and they do a good job. Let’s just say, having hair this short is great in the summer, but brrrr in the winter!

After hair cuts, we went back to Lowe’s to pick up the tiles, back to the house to drop off our purchases, then on to the Lowe’s in Palmyra, but along the way, we were thirsty, never got anything to drink with breakfast and we stopped into Swatara Coffee Company in Annville. According to the website, Swatara Coffee is a nationally recognized cafe using locally sourced ingredients and elevating Pennsylvania Dutch flavors. Bonus!

What a charming town, we haven’t spent a lot of time there, but we’re going to go back for sure. When the realtor was showing us around over the summer, we went through Annville, and we’ve driven through it a few times, but hadn’t stopped yet, but there are a few places on my list.

When we walked in, I immediately saw the mugs for the Lebanon Valley Java Journey! I got a text about this on Thursday, this is one of the things that happens in this area to get folks out, going to local places, and trying new things. It’s in its fifth year and it’s a trail of coffee shops across Lebanon County. There are 12 participating businesses, you purchase your Java Journey mug, we really liked them! And then at each location, they have a secret drink, which you can only get if you have one of the mugs. Once you make a purchase, you get a stamp in the ‘passport’. At the end, you turn in the passport and you’re entered into a drawing for prizes. You know me…I’m all about the swag!

While we were there, another couple had their mugs, we talked to them about it, then another two couples came in and we talked to them about it. They had done it in the past, and they made a day of it to go to all 12 places in one day! The hard part…the hours for the coffee shops is not condusive to weekday ventures, unless you can go before 2 or 3pm! So… it looks like we have our weekends set up until it’s over March 9th!

We love doing stuff like this, it gets us out and trying new places and cities, helps us explore, and…some of the places on the passport are already on my list of want to try! We are also doing a brewery passport tour, and someone told us about the Scooped ice cream tour in the summer! Cannot wait for that one!

PSM got the secret drink, I forgot what it was, sorry! and I was able to get a chait latte with mac milk, that’s macadamia nut for those not in the know, and we shared a french toast muffin. What a nice treat! I can’t wait to explore more coffee shops! Hmmm…maybe tomorrow morning we’ll try another. The hard part…remembering to bring the mugs!

Back in the car, off to Palmyra Lowe’s, got our tile, asked if there was a Harbor Freight nearby and they said yes, the one we were at earlier! ha ha. Next stop…Sherwin Williams for paint color books so we can figure out what color to paint the kitchen. We need to picks something that will compliment the grey cabinets, white marble countertops, and white-ish stone backsplash. Working on it, but we’re getting there!

Next, we needed lunch! We did a lot and it was time for food! We went to The Rotunda Restaurant and Brewery. This was an interesting place…in the front, or door we walked into, it was a bar/restaurant/brewery with a nice big bar to sit at, great big fireplace, cool decor, and in the back, there is a tiki bar! Yes, I said tiki bar! I did not take pictures of the tiki bar, I will save those for the next time we go!

We saddled up to the bar, placed a drink order, PSM got a flight of beers, I got hot tea, go figure…some of the beers were good, one, not so much, well, in his opinion, I tasted them all and, well, don’t ask me! We ordered food, I got the vegan refried bean tacos, and PSM got a burger. The food was good, the bartender was great, the other patrons at the bar were fun to chat with.

All told, we had a really good time and we look forward to going back!

After the Rotunda, back to Harbor Freight, I forgot something, PSM said he’s done with hardware stores for the day! I agree. Then home to finish clearing out the cabinets in the kitchen, pics of the whole process another time, you’re probably done with this post! After we cleared the cabinets, take the dogs for a walk and it was freezing! Temps in the 30s, winds 30-60 mph! I do love my winter parka and thank goodness for my new hat with the headlamp and the fuzzy lining, I would not have made it, my head was cold!

After that friends, isn’t that enough? Back home to put on comfy clothes, sweatpants were the order of the day! Then off to write to you to tell you about my day! I’m sitting here in my cozy sweatpants, a flannel top and my oversized sweatshirt. And I have a dog sitting under my desk, happily snoring away, what could be better?

Good night my friends. Cannot wait to find out what tomorrow brings! But whatever it is, you know I’ll share it!

{April 11, 2021} What a weekend! Another fabulous new adventure!

It’s Sunday, a decent day, let’s see what it has in store for us! Join me, will ya?!

We started off with the pups, of course. Then…breakfast! Let’s go to The Shack! It’s open again and we haven’t been there for a while! We found two seats right away at the bar, our favorite bartender was working, how could we lose! We ordered breakfast, a skillet and…panckes, waffle, or french toast? Well…they are currently Flipping off Cancer! For every pancake you order, they donate $1 to Kids Rock Cancer. It’s an innovative program that helps children successfully cope with the unique emotional challenges that accompany a cancer or blood disorder diagnosis. Through the proven healing power of music therapy, Kids Rock Cancer helps children combat feelings of anxiety, depression, uncertainty, and helplessness. Pancakes it is! All three options are tasty there, but when you can enjoy the cake of pan and help someone out, how can you go wrong! Y U M!

After breakfast, we had some errands to do, so we drove to Lowe’s and weren’t able to do what we needed to, but…I am now the proud owner of this power washer! I cannot wait to get out there and use it! You have no idea! Watch the grime drip down whatever it is you’re cleaning…move away this…clean that, oh yeah!

After Lowe’s, we didn’t feel like going home, we were going to go to the Butterfly House, but there were no tickets available today, oh well, there’s always a next time. But before we made any other decisions, hair cuts were very much in order!

We went to Sports Clips because PSM likes that extra thing they do with neck massages, no thanks I’m good. It felt so good to get a hair cut, it’s been a few months, I honestly can’t remember how long ago, you might, since that post asked if I looked like my bitmoji! HA HA. I did get a nice compliment…I had been talking with the stylist about the different colors we have died our hair, she asked what my natural color was and I told her. She was genuinely surprised that #42 Revlon was not my natural hair color. Thanks! It’s the pasty complexion that makes it work! ha ha! As we walked out, I looked at PSM and thought…”Boy, my hubby sure is cute! I love when he gets his hair cut!” Sigh…

Ok, now what…Looking at my list of Want to go Missouri, I had it! The City Museum! I had heard about it and I was definitely curious!

The City Museum: Explore the unexpected. City Museum is a hundred-year-old warehouse in downtown St. Louis in which artists have repurposed the pieces of old cities to build miles of tunnels, slides, climbers, bridges, and castles. There are secret passages and grand galleries. Playgrounds and ball pits. A circus and a train. A rooftop school bus and a Ferris wheel.

Let me tell you…this was an experience! We climbed, we slid, yes, I said slid! There were a few slides we went down, we crawled, we scooched, you name it, we tried it! There was a 10 story slide, I got half way up the circular staircases and was told the line was ridiculous, so…another time. We lost track of where we were, there were twists and turns, ups and downs, and sideways. Almost every room seemed to be conneted by these structures to climb in, on, through, we weren’t sure where we were half the time!

There was food, but no sit down where they normally have food, but we went into Beatnik Bob’s, which pays tribute to the carnival midway with a collection of items compiled to represent the youthful subculture of the ’50s. they had the world’s LARGEST underpants, yes, you read right! They had games, and old candies, pinball, video games, and so much more in the Odditorium! They had a full bar, aces! We sat with a bowl of vegan chili, PSM had a Gin & Tonic, from a can! and I did something I absolutely la la la love! I played Ms. Pacman! I had SO much fun! $1.50…can’t beat it! I was a little rusty at first, but eventually, the patterns came back and the dots got eaten!

At some point, we went outside and climbed on the amazing structures they had, it was a kids etch-a-sketch or I should say erector set, dream! There were two planes, old tram cars, two pieces of a castle, metal trees and real trees built into the structure. There were screams of joy and screams of terror from some kids, some of the climbing went waaaayyy up! I can’t even begin to tell you how much fun this was for us!

We even met a man who makes shoe laces! This was a branch of The Shoelace Factory. We didn’t get to see him make the shoe laces, that wasn’t happening at the moment, but we watched him cut the spools and finish them off. We talked to him for a bit, he’s been doing this for over 30 years, amazing! They had all sorts of patterns, widths, and colors. He could look at a shoe and tell you what length you need! We each bought two pairs, I might need a few more after looking at this fine pieces of cloth on my feet!

What a treat this place was! It wasn’t expensive and we probably could have spent even more time there! After four hours, it was time to go. I can’t wait for family and friends to come visit so we can take them, so much fun!

We headed back towards home, but we weren’t quite ready to pack it in. Hmmmm. Our favorite nail salon was open, let’s go! Claws and paws please! Part of the reason we both go are the massage chairs and foot rubs, O M G! I was in heaven!

Now…we’re hungry! I know where we should go! Balkan Store & Bakery! This place is owned by our neighbors and we have been wanting to go for some time! It was so worth it! As the name states, a store and bakery and they didn’t disappoint! I couldn’t read the labels on any of the food items for sale, I looked at the pictures and it definitely was fun to look at everything!

I ordered a veggie gyro with grilled eggplant, very tasty! It came with french fries, which I don’t normally order or eat, but they were fabulous! You could really taste the potato! I know french fries are potatos, but there are some fries that lose the potato flavor, I like them when they’re a little thicker, and you can sink your teeth and taste buds into…yup, you guessed it, potato! I also ordered a pear soda, I really liked it, it wasn’t too sweet and smelled and tasted like pears! PSM had a lamb gyro panini, which he enjoyed as well! His came with a side salad, so I shared my fries, I do that with boys I have a crush on! wink wink

We also had a piece of baklava, one of my weaknesses which I don’t normally eat because I can’t have honey, so every once in a while…and we also had a piece of this very sweet donut like thing called a Balkan Tulumbe Pastry, wow, that was something! All in all, a very good meal!

Now…home to hang with the pups. I have to say, all in all…a very good day. Good breakfast, new toys, haircuts, mani/pedis, a new museum, and a new food to try. It’s all in a day’s work! I might need a nap!

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