New Plants, A Hike & A Heart Shaped Cake

This weekend was Valentine’s Day, and also the family day long weekend here in New Brunswick. I knew going into it that I wanted to do something fun. It’s technically the second Valentine’s day that I’ve been without a partner, as my husband and I broke up right before Valentine’s Day last year- BUT it feels like the first. Last Valentine’s Day was filled with a lot of uncertainty, denial, etc, but this year was filled with a new found spark of SELF love, and that deserves to be celebrated too.

Saturday- Plant shopping

I’ve always loved houseplants, and I’ve always had a bit of a green thumb when it comes to caring for them. I get that from my nan. I recently joined a couple of plant hobbyist groups on Facebook, which sparked my interest in purchasing a few new plant babies. My nan propagates plants all year long and has some waiting for me at her house too.

I woke up early Saturday morning to go plant shopping, as there were a few specific places I wanted to check.

I’ve been dabbling a bit in making concrete home decor products recently (flower pots, coasters, candle holders, etc) and I’m loving it. I went to get some concrete at Home Depot a couple weeks ago and saw that they had a large selection of houseplants in stock, so I decided to check there. I also considered going to Costco, as I heard that they have a decent selection too, but the parking lot was already packed by 9am and I didn’t feel like sifting through large crowds that day.

At Home Depot, they had a lot of different plants at different price points. I ended up getting the Marble Queen Pothos and the Snake Plant (both just labeled “Tropical variety” in the store). They were $10 each, which was a really good price compared to other stores I had checked out online.

From left to right, the Monstera from Scott’s Nursery, and the Marble Queen Pothos & Snake Plant from Home Depot

I was nervous taking the Home Depot plant from the store to my truck, because I read on the plant groups that it can shock them to go from warm to cold air. The store did not offer any options to wrap them. I made sure they were warm once we got into the truck, and they seem to be doing okay.

My next stop was Scott’s Nursery here in Fredericton.

I LOVED the vibe at Scott’s Nursery! The plants were all beautiful and great quality, everything smelled amazing, and I felt like I was on a mini tropical vacation. I also learned that they are pet friendly, so I’ll definitely be taking Jasper for a little visit sometime soon.

I purposely went to Scott’s in search of a Monstera (The first plant in my plants on the counter photo above). I saw online that they had a few different size options in the price points of $15.99, $24.99 and up. They didn’t have any of the $15.99 ones in stock, so I got a $24.99 (6 inch pot), and some tropical potting soil.

They wrapped my plant in paper and a bag at the cash, which was much better than my Home Depot experience. When I got home I re-potted all of my plants and added some plant food.

Side note: The Monstera and the Marble Queen are known to be toxic to pets- usually just causing a mild irritation and sometimes upset stomach. I keep these plants out of reach of my pets just in case, but everything I’ve read says they are generally fine to keep around. Also, my cat and dog have never tried to eat any of my current plants. Just buy based on your own pet’s habits, your space to put things, and your comfort level.

Saturday - the hike

While I was out plant shopping, my dad texted me asking if I wanted to go on a family hike at Odell Park. I said yes, and went home to get myself & Mason (and our beagle) ready. We weren’t leaving for a few hours, so I re-potted a couple of my plants before we left.

Odell Park was packed that day with families out for hikes & sledding. We ended up hiking around 5km total according to my FitBit. My step-mom is a retired Kindergarten teacher, so she took the time to teach Mason about trees, roots, and moss along the way. Mason collected different leaves and sticks for his nature collection.

Jasper, my beagle loved the trail and stopped to say hello to every person we passed. I’m going to invest in some walking sticks for Mason and I to make it a bit easier to get through the snow next time. After the hike, we all went out to eat (we’re allowed bubbles of 10 in my province), then Mason and I ran some errands before going home.

I’ve spent the last year working on my spiritual journey and doing some inner work that needed to be done. I’m finally mentally and emotionally ready to work on my health and fitness. I’ve been posting daily gratitude and affirmation posts on TikTok the last month (I missed the last few days- catching up later today!) and I want to start posting more about improving my overall health as well.

Sunday- Cleaning & cake

Sunday was Valentine’s Day. I woke up early and made bacon and eggs for breakfast, then started cleaning the house. I painted our upstairs bathroom recently, and I needed to do some deep cleaning before I organize and decorate it.

After supper, Mason and I made a heart shaped cake. After we decorated it, I put on some music and we danced in the kitchen to old school Valentine’s songs. Then, we watched a movie before bed.

Today as I write this, it’s Family Day, but I’m working. I’m glad we got to spend time with family over the weekend. Overall it was the best Valentine’s weekend I’ve had in a long time. No worries, no stress, just relaxing and breathing some new life into my home with plants and cleaning.

How did you spend your weekend?