Who Made This Mess?

January is KITCHEN

2012-01-24T20:05:00.000-08:00

Here is WEEK ONE.

Countertops.

Oh my.

I like mine to be COVERED so you can't see the pink-ness.

Actually I'm pretty good about clearing the counters..... for the most part.

The table is cleared off. The little odd desk thing is mostly clear... although it often collects things that are "outgoing" in our house. Right now it has some movies to be returned and a bill to be mailed.

The main countertop is cleared.

The coffee pot is always out.

The utinsel bin, knife block & smelly-melter all live on the window ledge. So does a glass trivet and my drinking glass. I won't lie.... I hate the knife block. Opinions on magnetic wall ones?

We moved the countertop microwave to the corner. Better. The cherry tomatoes live on top of the microwave. Is that odd? Where do you keep tomatoes?

We can't leave out paper towels anymore.... damn cats.

I have a little green spoon rest on the stove top.

That's about it.

What's on your countertops?

What needs to change in your kitchen?

My kitchen needs big changes structurally but in the short term I am considering a wall mount magnet knife holder & a new hand soap dispenser.

Organizing in January

2012-01-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

Home Storage Solutions 101 has a 52 week challenge up right now. Are you ready?

Go.

http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/organized-home.html

Random Responses

2012-01-18T21:08:00.000-08:00

In response to this post from Elle.

1. Bandaids and such. You can condense all those boxes of 25 down into about 4 boxes if you don't mind mix-n-match bandaid grabs. That's my only tip. Oh. And it makes me think how EXPENSIVE hoarding must be.... If $1722 fits in a mid-sized box.... how much money is in a hoarded house? Hmmm.

2. We aren't in the Survivor habit because we didn't have that channel for several years. Now we have the channel but hardly ever watch it. Something else must be on in that time slot that we watch... I wonder what it is.

3. The Bachelor makes my teeth hurt.

4. 2011 wasn't the greatest year around here. Maybe a nice review would help.

5. I did some goals. I enjoy hearing your health goals, triumphs and setbacks.

6. Yes, more organizing please. I'm in the throes right now.... as usual.

7. I reinvent and rededicate myself to the meal planning goal on a weekly basis. Sigh.

8. I figure if I let it be in their closet then they have the right to wear it. On that note... several pairs of ratty leggings went OUT of Bugsy's drawer this weekend. Tuff likes to wear yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt under a cute graphic t-shirt with knee high socks. That's her mo. Sometimes jeans. And we cut her hair off so she can wear it up or down now.... no more ratty stocking cap pony tails.

9. I haven't gotten my rewards certificate. I hope I didn't toss it. I'm on budget for groceries so far this month.

10. I'm looking to replace our impossible-to-clean George with a more all purpose thing with removable plates..... My cousin has one she got at Costco but it must be seasonal.... she even had a coupon for it. So I'm watching... My mom has a panini press and it is AWESOME. Grab some bread, slice up some nice veggies, toss on some cheese and squeeze away. Yum. The way I do it now involves an electric frying pan (because our stove top cooks too hot) and a cast iron skillet to press it. Not so easy or pretty and time consuming when the 7-year-old eats the sammies faster than I can cook them and need at least 3.

Dinner this Week

2012-01-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

Meals this week....

Monday: We were on the way home so we had lunch at The Prospector and pasta for dinner.
Tuesday: I made the Panera Bread Brocolli Soup recipe. First time. It was good but my cooktop simmers at a boil so making creamy soups can be a challenge. We had delicious olive oil-rosemary bread from Costco and green salad.
Wednesday: Chicken bones. I made (the last of the bag) of chicken wings. Baked with garlic salt. Brown rice & the end of a part of a bag of perogi with fried onions and parmesan.
Thursday: The plan is to have roll ups with turkey, cheese, tomato, lettuce & ranch.
Friday: We have a package of delicious Rocky Mountain Hot Dogs... if I remember to get buns.
Saturday: Chicken pot pie. Special request.
Sunday: Elk steaks & baked potatoes if Hot is home.

Wildland Fire Number 3, Week 1, 2012

2012-01-05T06:10:00.000-08:00

First was a fire at Dearborn due to a welder spark.

Then a transient campfire out-of-control on Mount Helena. (There were actually several fire calls but only one graduated from city fire to wild land.)

That was yesterday. Hot got home late and we had dinner. Then he got called again to go to Browning for the series of fires there. WTF? It rain/slushed on them this morning so maybe he will come home tonight.

Nothing like packing long johns to go fight fire.

Ok Mother Nature. Enough. Seriously.

Because it IS January... GOALS.

2012-01-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

I'm still hoping to do a goal-a-month. So far my January goal is reading. 20 pages a night of something non-magazine. And, preferably, non-work and non-web-based. A book. And more books for my kids. My 7-year-old is an Anamorphs maniac. And now he's reading Tom Sawyer. And the dinosaur encyclopedia.

I haven't thought of anything for February.... but other 2012 goals include:

Hot's Eyes. Boy needs lasik. One eye (the cataract eye) is good. The other one is a big exercise in compensating. Need to get that fixed.

Budget. We have one. Now to track it. I already kinda hate it. And so far in 2012 I've spent $160 in Costco groceries and $11 at the dollar store (new toothbrushes, organizer drawer baskets & 2 frames for a project...)

Travel. We don't plan to go far but we do plan to plan. Last year we made a goal of taking 2-3 yearly mini trips. In 2011 we did the rodeo finals in Great Falls in January, the state fair in the summer and Fairmont Hot Springs in the fall. We are doing the finals again this month. We go up on Sunday, do the rodeo at 2, go out to dinner with family, stay in a hotel and watch trashy tv, swim & eat breakfast. Then a bit of shopping and a nice lunch on Monday and home.

Money. We are cooking up a rather major money thing right now. Paying off our mortgage. Go ahead. Laugh out loud. But our investments sucked in 2011 and the outlook for 2012 is baseline... so we are thinking of yanking a big chunk of change out and paying off the mortgage.... well... most of the mortgage.... ok, part of the mortgage. Ok... a little bit of the mortgage. But it is a goal.

Seasonal Fun. Doing things with the seasons. Sledding, skiing, swimming, watersliding, picnicking, fishing, hunting, shooting, biking, baking, cooking, canning, gardening....

Organizing. Less planning, more doing. I'm seriously considering boxing half of the toys in my house and storing them in the shed and rotating every 3-6 months. Not every category but maybe books, puzzles, games & stuffed animals. The play kitchen/food/pollies/barbies and lego/dinosaur/transformer/fantasy stuff can stay year-round. I'm trying to accept the challenges of a small house with a poor floor plan and make peace.

Remodeling.... or buying a new 4-wheeler. It's a toss up. We have plans for new flooring but not any time soon. Carpet for the living room, stairs & upstairs bedrooms. Something laminate for the dining room, kitchen, laundry room & bathroom. When the stove dies we may do a bit of work in the kitchen... moving a few things around and getting new countertops.... but that might be a 2013 goal.

Work. Work is a hard one for me to talk about. You see..... Hot's position is temporary. He's in fairly solid shape until fall... although he may not have benefits after April..... but then what? With a little creativity and our carefully molded 2012 budget we will be ok for a while. But he needs joyful and meaningful work.

Holiday Love Day 24

2011-12-24T19:43:00.000-08:00

Holdiay Love Day 23

2011-12-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 22

2011-12-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

12 Months of Goals

2011-12-22T20:06:00.000-08:00

This year I'm going to try something different. A new goal each month for 12 months. Problem is... I don't have any ideas.

Anyone?

My first goal (which I started last week because I'm an overachiever like that) is to read 20 pages of a novel each night. I'm reading "The Paris Wife" right now. It is very good and I'm speeding through it. It is an easy read and I'm guessing when I hit some grittier stuff I might have to scale back the 20 pages a night. I have a stack of good reads from my mil and sister so I have lots of books.... a few trashy novels by Nora Roberts, The Help, The Bonesetter's Daughter.... and a stack of others.

So that's a solid goal. Now I just need 11 more.....

Last day of school 2011

2011-12-22T08:02:00.000-08:00

This is it. The last day.

Dropped kids this morning with a ton of luggage. Sweet had two paper bags of treats for the recess paras. And a giant blue grocery bag with his book exchange gift, a teacher gift and a "tree" gift of the sharpie markers his teacher wanted. He also had a veggie tray with ranch.... his contribution to the healthy holiday party.

Tuff was lugging a teacher gift and a "tree" gift. Her tree gift was glitter glue.

This year for teacher gifts I went with Body Shop items.

Normally I give black gloves. Two stores in town offer a holiday price ($9.99-$12.99 for regularly $25 gloves) for nice black driving gloves. Either Manzella or Black Diamond brand. I have the Black Diamond ones and have been wearing them for years. They are nice alone or layered under my John Deere gloves. And they are longer... so they cover naked wrists. I like that. I also think black gloves are easy to re-gift so if they don't want them they can pass them along.

As the daughter of a teacher I realize no teacher needs another coffee mug, Christmas ornament or body lotion from the dollar store. So I went and broke my own rule and got lotions and potions. But... Body Shop. Right? I hit a deal at Body Shop and for $25 I got two gifts (plus a cute bag I plan to use as part of a housewarming gift later this year). One teacher is getting a giant jug of strawberry body wash, a bath pouf, peppermint foot scrub (I love that scrub.... I had a hard time not keeping it for myself) and hemp hand cream. The hemp hand cream is raved about... but it kind of smells like dirt. My mom and sister love it. Maybe next year.... The other teacher got a vanilla spice set... body butter, body scrub & a bar of soap. So those were both high-value gifts on the cheap.

The SACC ladies got treat bags like the paras. This year was fudge, cheerio scotcheroos, white chocolate cookies & hershey's kisses. I'm not going to lie... it wasn't my best effort. The fudge was overcooked and hard. Tastes good but not my usual creamy flawless fudge. The scotcheroos were an effort to use up some seriously stale cheerios... good but would be better with new cheerios. And the cookies.... I discovered I had no brown sugar. So they were messed up. Here's what I like to do.... use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and then sub white chocolate chips and adorable tiny blue snowflake sprinkles.... make them small and round and bite-sized. They are adorable and tasty. Well.... no blue snowflake sprinkles could be found so I used red and green holly..... they looked like spinach cookies. Not adorable. I'll do better next year.

I didn't get anything for the superintendent, music teacher, pe teacher or front desk staff. Is that bad?

What does everyone else do for holiday gifts?

Holiday Love Day 21

2011-12-21T19:42:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 20

2011-12-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

Shoes

2011-12-19T23:33:00.000-08:00

I'm already thinking ahead to organizing for 2012.

I had to order new snowboots for Bugsy yesterday. She has two pairs of size 6 boots and then there is a gap until the size 12 boots Tuff is wearing..... WTF? Somewhere there is a whole box of snowboots.... hope I accidentally sent them to Good Sam's and not the dump....

She's getting these... in pink of course. Size 8. Got 'em for $25 with a coupon and free shipping. I might have done better with Land's End sales but sometimes those Land's End ones are hard to get on....

You will recall I had to buy $50 boots for Sweet earlier this year. Size 6. When he gets to a size 7 he is in men's sizes.

Tuff is holding out in size 12 purple boots. The next good pair is size 2 camo sorels.... which just might not be fashionable enough (or warm enough after serving Sweet for two seasons) for next year. So I might be boot shopping again.

I'm struggling, as always, with the hand-me-down organization. We cleaned the closet and hauled out a big black garbage bag of shoes that didn't fit anyone. Now to sort that bag into:

1. Keep for Tuff
2. Keep for Bugsy
3. Give to mom for spares at her house
4. Consign
5. Give to cousin
6. Donate
7. Save for baby girl cousin

I think I'm making this harder than it needs to be.....

Holiday Love Day 19

2011-12-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 18

2011-12-18T23:25:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 17

2011-12-17T21:23:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 16

2011-12-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 15

2011-12-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 14

2011-12-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 13

2011-12-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 12

2011-12-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 11

2011-12-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 10

2011-12-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 9

2011-12-09T22:12:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 8

2011-12-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 7

2011-12-07T20:10:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 6

2011-12-06T22:10:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 5

2011-12-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love Day 4

2011-12-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love 3

2011-12-03T20:15:00.000-08:00

"School" Picture

Holiday Love 2

2011-12-02T20:14:00.000-08:00

Holiday Love 1

2011-12-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

Thankful: Day 30

2011-11-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for haircuts. And stylists who understand when I say, "I need something that is cute without styling" that I mean it. Really.

Thankful: Day 29

2011-11-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

Coffee. I forgot to be thankful for coffee. And ice cream. And pizza.

Thankful: Day 28

2011-11-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for snack foods. And making meals of snacks to recover from the gorging of the holiday.

Thankful: Day 27

2011-11-27T22:58:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for my mother-in-law and getting to spend special time with her. And candlelit tea to celebrate the beginning of Advent.

Thankful: Day 26

2011-11-26T20:56:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for sporting events. Especially when they are local college football on tv with good announcers when it is cold outside. I folded TONS of laundry while watching a very exciting Saints football playoff today.

Thankful: Day 25

2011-11-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for high speed internet, ordering pictures online, shopping online and all things technology related.... even when they make me swear.

Thankful: Day 24

2011-11-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for family. And, also, pumpkin pie from Costco with fresh-whipped cream and grated nutmeg.

Thankful: Day 23

2011-11-23T20:54:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for days off. Days of fun and crafts and projects and kid stuff. Baking and cleaning and wrapping. Music and dancing.

Thankful: Day 22

2011-11-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for being organized. Or the illusion of being organized. Or the hope of being organized.

Thankful: Day 21

2011-11-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

Waffles. I am thankful for waffles. And when I am organized enough to make fresh, homemade waffles for my kids... on a school morning.

I like my waffles with butter and brown sugar. No syrup.

Thankful: Day 20

2011-11-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for Costco and laundry baskets. Sturdy turquoise laundry baskets.

Thankful: Day 19

2011-11-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for my in-laws.

Thankful: Day 18

2011-11-18T21:47:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for cell phones that take pictures. I am particularl thankful we didn't have them when I was young(er) and dumb(er). I'm so thankful there isn't photographic documentation of all that stupidity.

Thankful: Day 17

2011-11-17T20:46:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for scanners. For the funny vintage pictures they allow to be posted on Facebook.

Thankful: Day 16

2011-11-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for Facebook. It lets me keep track of my family. And see funny vintage pictures.

Thankful: Day 15

2011-11-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for checklists.

Thankful: Day 14

2011-11-14T20:43:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for forgiving fashion. Long drapey sweaters and yoga pants. Land's End tshirts and jeans.

Thankful: Day 13

2011-11-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for long weekends and projects. Especially projects completed and long overdue.

Thankful: Day 12

2011-11-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for hot chocolate and simple pleasures. The rituals and routines of my life.

Thankful: Day 11

2011-11-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Love this boy.

Thankful: Day 10

2011-11-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for all wheel drive.

Thankful: Day 9

2011-11-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

Chili & Mox..... specifically Chili Applebee and Mox Polamalu.

My darling murderers.

We got what we thought were two female kittens after finding mouse sign in our house in the summer of 2009. Our dear grey cat went to heaven a while before... she was a murderous maniac and one of the oddest cats on earth. Loved her.

Turns out one kitten was male. Oh well. They came from the barn and had learned the art of rodent war well from their mama. That was the goal. They spend a lot of time in the house and display dead things daily on the lawn right in front of the steps. Ew.

They had to evacuate with me late in the summer of 2009.... that was interesting. We went to my sister's house. She has the two littermates. We had to paint fingernail polish streaks on their heads so I didn't get confused and bring home the wrong kittens.

Thankful for nice cats that murder rodents.

Thankful Day 8

2011-11-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

I love this boy. Even when he does naughty things. I can't imagine I will have much more time on this earth with him so I just focus on enjoying the time I have. His "spot" is curled up behind my knees.... on the couch or in bed or wherever. He is my #1.

Thankful Day 7

2011-11-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

Carrots and Hummus.

Specifically... the GIANT bags of carrots and single-serve containers of hummus from Costco.

I am, in general, opposed to single-serve items that are more expensive and I prefer to make-at-home vs buy pre-made.

HOWEVER.

In finding the balance between cost-effective and healthy/green and convenient (my personal chartreuse triumvirate) I don't follow that concept to the letter. Ya have to know the rules to know when to make an exception says I.

I sometimes buy the pre-packs of carrots and love them. But lately my kids have been on a bugs bunny style carrot fest. And I've been making lots of pans of roasted veggies and those little peeled buggers just don't taste as good as a real carrot..... all carmelized and delicious. And those big bags, stored unwashed in my crisper, seem to last FOREVER.

I know how to make hummus. But I don't have a food processor and cleaning the blender is a pain. And the repackaging and spoilage. Well.... I love being able to just grab one of those little packets from the fridge and go with it.

Also... is it wrong I consider cut-up carrots and hummus a breakfast food?

Thankful Day 6

2011-11-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

Food in the freezer. So thankful.

Jokes have been made about my compulsive need to have a full freezer. Yes, I am a Costco shopper. And, yes, after this weekend trip to the farm I have about 12 packages of hamburger. We are trying for a low-based food budget for the next two weeks so everything will be burger-based.

I believe in having a second freezer. Ours is an upright in the garage. In stock, always: a three pound bag of coffee beans, some butter, frozen vegetables of some variety, bread, ice cream, parmesan, chicken nuggets, water, flour, spare ice packs. Whenever possible....cows, deer & elk. I also enjoy chicken but I'm alone in that one. Rotating in and out.... various convenience foods.... potstickers, pizza bagels, frozen pizzas, hot pockets, eggos, egg rolls..... things I might have on hand to make something.... bread heels to make croutons, freezer jelly, frozen cheese, muffins, homemade bean burritos, cooked beans or lentils, frozen fruit. In the summer I stock a variety of delicious icy treats. Pre-hunting season I clean out both freezers and rotate stuff to the front to be eaten before any meat comes back from the processor.

This year Hot did his deer all to jerky & summer sausage. Delish. And the way my kids eat jerky it won't last long.

I'd like to be a more seasonal eater. And eat more locally....putting up summer garden extras for the winter. Heck... I love to garden.... if I didn't have 99 other things on the list in front of pulling weeds.

Thankful Day 5

2011-11-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for spreadsheets.

Thankful Day 4

2011-11-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well now... it would make SENSE to post about Hot today, wouldn't it? But I'm not gonna... not because I'm not thankful but because I have a particular photo I want to use and it must be found.

Instead. Today. I am thankful for heat.

I love my pellet stove. I would also love a wood stove but I really love the pellet stove. Even with the price of pellets going into orbit... I love it.

I have a red lattice-topped metal steamer on top. It is starting to peel and look a little ratty.... I saw one similar to this at our local fireplace shop. Cute, right?

Thankful: Day 3

2011-11-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hello you precious little fashion bug. This one loves oversized flip flops (fipf-fops, mama). She loves to color and play kitchen. (Wanna pit-za?) She's scared of deer stepping on her and cats on the stairs. (Me too.) She likes to dress herself. Love you Ama.

Butter My.....

2011-11-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I made some really bad corn bread.

So I asked and you commented and Cristal mentioned BISCUITS.

I love biscuits. My mom used to make them for us for breakfast almost every day.

So... who has a good recipe? Who uses the ones in the twisty can?

Thankful: Day 2

2011-11-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

Oh I love this girl. She has such style and grace. She is a great storyteller and has a completely contagious giggle. She loves to draw and write letters. She likes music and dancing. And I love her so. Love you Fifi!

Thankful 2011 Day 1

2011-11-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

Elle challenged posting thankful for November.

Here's a start. I'm thankful for this smiley face. And his health. And his joyful personality. Because he is a character. Love you buddy.

Doesn't this look like a graduation pose???

2011-10-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

Must be Hunting Season

2011-10-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is what I found in my kitchen at about 5:15 this morning. Can you see him with all that camo? Good thing he is wearing orange. His dad told him they weren't leaving until 6:00. He asked which clock they were using? Mom's? Or the microwave? Because he is smart and knows mom's clock is fast. Then he ate breakfast twice and sat in front of the clock staring at it until it was time to go.

Guess what I'm doing this weekend.

2011-10-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Anyone have a better idea? I got this from here.

Dog Urine Smell and Stain Remover

Ingredients

Baking Soda
White Vinegar
Liquid Dishwashing Detergent
3% Hydrogen Peroxide

1.
If the area is still wet you should first attempt to absorb the dog urine.Leaving it there to dry out will only encourage bacterial growth which causesthe smell. The best method is to place several layers of paper towel over thewet area and tread on it so as to soak up as much of the dog urine as youpossibly can. You may have to repeat this several times until no more dog urinecan be soaked up.

Sometimes dog urine accidents havealready dried because you did not notice them previously. You can find driedurine spots on your carpet with the aid of a black light. The dog urine stainswill fluoresce underthe ultra violet light in a darkened room. Hand held black lights are quiteinexpensive usually costing between $15 - $25. Of course, you can always savethe expense of a black light to find the odors by using your nose instead.

2.
The next step is to mix a solution of fifty percent white vinegar and fifty percent water. You must use a liberal amount of this solution to reach the carpet fibers deep down. Work the solution in with a scrubbing brush to ensure it penetrates the carpet fibers below.

Next step: Blot the area again using the paper towel method above. The vinegar will neutralize the ammonia in the dog urine. If you own a wet/dry vacuum extractor use that to remove excess moisture.

3.
When the area has dried or almost dried sprinkle a good handful of baking soda over the soiled area.

Mix half a cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide with a teaspoon of detergent. Plain liquid dishwashing detergent is quite suitable. Do not use caustic dishwasher detergent.

Put on a pair of rubber gloves andslowly pour the hydrogen peroxide and detergent mixture over the baking soda.Work the dissolving baking soda well into the carpet with your fingers or witha scrubbing brush.

Blot again and allow the area to drycompletely. Then vacuum up the baking soda thoroughly. Use a hard bristledbrush to loosen up the baking soda if necessary. That'sall there is to it. Your carpet will smell fresh and free from urine odor.

If you don't have hydrogen peroxideon hand you could substitute it in an emergency for a spray laundry stain remover.Check the bottle. If it says 'Oxy' anywhere on the label then it probablycontains hydrogen peroxide.

In areas that have been heavilysoiled with dog urine you may have to repeat the process again.

This recipe is for one small area of dog urine. For larger areas you will need to adjust the quantities of ingredients used.

It is thinking about snowing so I'm thinking about winter gear.

2011-10-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

Someone made fun of my "good" coat today.

It's a greyish-black men's pea coat.

Vintage Old Navy circa approximately 2003. I paid almost $20 for it.

And I've worn it every winter since.

It is, I can now admit, looking a little sad. Classic, but sad.

So I've begun the coat shopping process.

You need to understand something about me. I buy for the long haul.

My ski coat is a North Face "4-seasons" shell. Classic red and black. Purchased in 1993. Yes. True story. So glad I didn't get that trendy eggplant one.

My rain coat is a Patagonia shell. Purchased at the outlet in 2000.

I have a heavier "barn coat" by Carhartt. A gift from my husband in approximately 2002.

And then my brother gave me my "free with purchase" fake-Carhartt heavy winter coat (with his business logo) for Christmas last year. I wear it all the time. I wore it every day to the legislature last session. Got me some style points.

So I'm leaning towards something Luxe Wool... maybe the swing coat or the car coat. Or the Polar Thin Jacket.

Maybe next year I will replace my snowboots.... vintage LL Bean duck boots (one top is chewed off from puppies) from 1986. Yes. 1986.

Halloween

2011-10-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

Are you a big Halloween celebrator?

Or not?

Corn Bread

2011-10-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been on a cooking kick lately. That seems to have been a September thing.

But on Sunday I did toss some stuff in the crock pot and produce some mighty fine chili. (Stretched into Frijoli Pies for Monday night.)

So I made some corn bread.

Now, at some point I got all mouse-scared and put the corn meal in a mason jar. And tossed the canister with the recipe on the back. So I went to Betty (Crocker) and tried that one.

I don't know what went wrong. It was bad. Now, I've made DRY corn bread before... the cure is lots of butter and honey. This wasn't dry but it just didn't taste good.

So.

What corn bread recipe do you use?

Electronic Devices

2011-10-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

Son came home from a field trip today and complained because everyone else brought a hand-held game for the 2+ hour bus ride and all he had was a book. "A paper book, mom."

I have no answer. I wasn't about to send my $300 ipod with a 7-year-old.

I told him to look out the window.

It was the right thing to say.

There should be an app for that....

2011-10-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

I confess to not having a smart phone. I would love one in theory but, frankly, I can't justify the expense.... especially when I don't have cell service in my house.

But I do have an ipod touch. And I love it.

So.... what apps do you love?

I've been randomly downloading free stuff and now I have the kids sorting the games they like as-is, don't like or think we should buy the full version of.....

I actually enjoy reading bits and pieces on it (The Art of War, Winnie the Poo) when I'm waiting for things. (kid pick up, doctor's office) And you already know I have the pinterest app on it.

The kids will be getting some itunes gift cards to buy things they want... but they don't know what they want.

So tell me what we can't live without.

Can we just start easy?

2011-10-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

I don't usually buy for the PE and Music teachers. Is that bad? And I get the playground paras fudge and cookies.

We don't have a babysitter to buy for....

For the classroom teachers my go-to gift is the black diamond gloves from The Base Camp. They go on big sale ($12) in early December. That and some sweets. Done. They can keep them or regift or return as needed. But I have to branch out a bit this year.... same grade K teacher for the second kid. Sigh.

Daycare is also pretty easy. They love Jade Garden so we get a nice-sized gift certificate and some other little thing. They don't really celebrate Christmas so we keep it low key but high dollar.

My work people are a pain. We may finally elect to not do an exchange this year. (Well... a girl can hope.) But if we do I'm going mini-jars of lentils and a really fabulous lentil recipe. Why? Because I have a 25 pound bag of organic lentils in my garage. And, also, one of my co-workers doesn't do sugar or booze.... so the creative gift creation is a little limited with her.

If I have to do a white elephant gift I'm doing this. But with Guinness. And possibly attaching the fabulous Guinness-Beef recipe.

Christmas Time Is COMING

2011-10-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

Elle is up to her usual tricks.... budgeting and planning for Christmas. I do have this on my list for this weekend... but I have a pile of scanning on my list and no intentions of doing that either.

Ok. Ok.

Holiday Budget.

Most seem to have a rule about simplicity and the reason for the season.

Me? This year I've decided I'm all about being a consumer. I intend to, single-handedly, save the economy.

The end.

Ok... while that seems blissful..... I suppose I should set a budget.

Here is who is on my list for this year....

Me.
Hot.
Sweet.
Tuff.
Bugsy.
Gunnar/Sarge/Olive/Daisy/Daisy/Jaz.
Chili/Mox.
MIL.
FIL.
SIL (Hot's sis.)
SIL Daughter 1.
SIL Daughter 2.
Mom.
Dad.
Brother.
SIL (Brother's Wife).
Brother's Son.
Sister.
BIL (Sister's Hubby).
Sister's Son.
(Great) Grandpa.
Daycare Provider.
Grade K Teacher.
Grade 2 Teacher.
2 Playground Aids.
What about SACC providers?
What about other teachers (PE, Music)?
My work people usually do some sort of something for each other.
Hot's work may require a white elephant gift or something.

Fortunately there is no package mailing budget... everyone lives close enough. And, yes, I do print photos and mail them..... usually around 150 printed and distributed.

I think we should dwell on this for a day or two and then start tossing out ideas.

How rural should we go?

2011-10-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

I have days when I dream of moving to the farm where I grew up and living my life in my grandmother's house.

Today I can't think of many reasons why I should just do it.

Anyone?

ha-ha

2011-10-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

If I was a good parent we would be spending the long weekend working on potty training.

Bliss

2011-10-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

I finished up work today and am heading into a 4-day weekend of.... nothing. Bliss

School Pics 2011

2011-10-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

True love is when he looks back at this outfit at some low point in his life and remembers his mother loved him enough to let him wear whatever he wanted for picture day AND pick his own background. It is just so HIM. He's 75 pounds and 4'5" and has deemed himself the "protector" of all. Chin out, slightly cocky and very mischievious. Love you.

And my girl. So outgoing but so shy.... you can see it in the photo. Wearing her favorite outfit. The only thing missing are the big turquise window-glass specs she loves to wear. Sweet smile and that little sparkle in her eye... you just know she's a fun-loving trouble-maker but also a thoughtful kid. Love you.

Tossing.....

2011-10-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'm on a get rid of lip stuff bender today. Sometimes I think I need a "hoarder" tag.

"Yes to Carrots" I'm going to say no. I got a three-pack of these on clearance at Target... nice lip tint texture but rotten colors. Sunset Pink sounds delightful and the cap color is lovely but the reality is nasty. Now I know why they were on clearance and the color is no longer available on the website. TOSSED.

Aveda lip gloss I found in the Subaru.... I know it was mine but, really, how long has it been in there. Odd color, anyway... sort of melon-y. TOSSED.

Sample in the bathroom drawer. Great texture.... rotten color. No point in writing down the brand... by the time I need it again it will be discontinued anyway... TOSSED.

I just polished off a, um, what's that dollar stuff? ELF. An elf lip gloss that was in a click up tube with a brush. It was fantastic. A shimmery champagne color and fun to apply. Except that one time Bugsy was using it and sucking on the brush. That was just gross. It was my "car" lipgloss for the summer... it doesn't melt. And, also, apparently doubles as a baby toy. Bonus.

I have a clear tube of Bobbi Brown at work and a Burt's Bees pomegranate chapstick. I have a lovely Clinique "Think Bronze" lipstick/gloss duo in my purse. Something glossy and peppermint in a tube in the car. A tube of Mary Kay stuff in the bathroom drawer (that goes with the mask they sell). A pot of something shiny (Victoria Secret maybe?) in the junk drawer in the kitchen. A tube of neutral chapstick that lives in my overnight kit bag. And a tube of sunscreen stuff in the pool bag.

DONE. The rest is gathered in a cosmetics bag in the cabinet to be used ONLY when something else runs out.

Bonus: Who knew me when all I used was "Natural Ice" chapstick with an Inglenook/Warren Miller label??

Spa Day Mama Style

2011-10-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

In my past life I was a big-time “self spa” person. Nothing better than a magazine, glass of wineand a bubble bath or a homemade facial. Hedonist might be another word for it.

I haven’t had a bubble bath in years. (Seriously, who want to climb into a tiny tuband then be swarmed by a herd of filthy toddlers? It isn’t fun no matter how big the bottle ofwine or how lovely the scent of the candles.) And self-care… well…. Some of that soak and scrub stuff is prettyinvolved… if I got out an avocado and plastic wrap right now my kids wouldscream, “Mexican Night,” turn on flamenco music and get out a giant bag ofdorritos.

So, dear reader, for you I have written the multi-tasking mamaguide to self-care Sunday.

Step 1: Make a giantpot of coffee, feed the kids something easy for breakfast and sweep the bathroomfloor. (Trust me, the swept floor willmake sense in a minute.) Put someleave-in conditioner in your hair. Turnon some music.

Step 2: Give the doga bath. (See why you want a sweptfloor? Less mud.) Go ahead and use your towel (or better yet…your husband’s…) to dry the dog. Whileyou are there, swipe the tub walls with a Mr. Clean Eraser and clean as muchdog hair out of the drain as possible.

Step 3: Throw alltowels in the washer. Extra rinse.

Step 4: Give thebathroom a quick once-over. Swish thetoilet and wipe it down. (Sorry… I knowit will kill the environment but I like disinfectant wipes for this.) Wipe the counter. Do a half-hearted mop job if you want. Light a candle.

Step 5: Get morecoffee. Do some long-overdueself-care. Tweeze, wax, get out a freshblade for your razor. Brush. Floss. Bonus points if you use up some old product….. facial scrub etc.

Step 6: Put the towelsin the dryer. Break up a fight betweenkids. Assign some chores.

Step 7: Get in theshower. If it looks to be “one of thosedays” go ahead and turn up the hot water heater first. (What? Ours is turned down so it doesn’t scald someone small…. Which often translatesinto optimistically reminding myself, “An ice-cold hair rinse seals the haircuticle and makes hair shiny.”) Use theclarisonic. Heck…. If you are feelingcrazy use the body brush. In a perfectworld you would start with a lovely homemade sugar scrub but really… youalready wiped down the tub with that sexy Mr. Clean…. So why waste that effort? Wash your hair….. I like to put some tea treeoil in with my shampoo to clarify and then wash it again. Put a little conditioner in the ends and runa comb through it. Shave. Really shave. Every section of your legs. (Am Ithe only one who is so pressed that sometimes I break up shaving??? Lower legs today. Upper legs tomorrow. Cookie only if we are going to the pool.) Use that foot buffer thing on your feet. Go ahead… use up all the hot water. When the kids come in to pester you send themto the dryer to get you a warm and fluffy towel. Put your hair up to dry and put on somelovely body oil and wander around the bathroom for a bit while it dries. I still love Neutrogena Sesame Oil…. Does thatdate me?? I also like Body Butter. Put some of the good moisturizer on yourface. Wrap up in your (20+ year old greyfleece from the Gap) robe. Sit on thecouch and slather (I love that word. Slather.) on some foot cream. Puton socks. Get dressed in something comfybut athletic.

Step 8: Now you areready to face the rest of your day. (Seriously… at this point…. Sweet is comatose in front of the tv, Bugsyis in hysterics because she pottied on the bean bag chair, Tuff is cryingbecause Sweet scared her, someone has colored on the ottoman and the dog hassoaked the couch with wet dog smell.)

Step 9: Get morecoffee.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake

2011-10-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

Via pinterest...

I need to do more research on THIS BLOG. Doesn't it look lovely?

Here's the recipe that caught my eye on pinterest..... My dad's birthday is coming up and it might be perfect....

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake
2 ounces unsalted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar
3 ounces creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325F.
Grease three 9 x 1 1/2 inch pans.(I personally used just one 9 x 13 pan). Line your bottoms with parchement. Set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix together brown sugar, peanut butter and butter for two minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and mix for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and mix for another minute.
Add half of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated about 20 seconds. Then add the sour cream, mixing again for 20 seconds. Gradually add the remaining flour mixture. Add the hot water in a slow, steady stream and mix on low to combine, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and mix for another 10 seconds. Add the chocolate chips and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Divide the cake batter into the prepared pans, spreading it evenly. Bake for about 22 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Icing
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup granulated sugar
2 TBSP peanut butter
1 TBSP unsalted butter
Place the chocolate in a bowl and set aside. Heat the cream, butter, peanut butter and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When hot, stir to disolve sugar and peanut butter. Bring to a boil. Pour the cream mixture over. Wait 5 minutes and stir the mixture until smooth. Place in fridge for about 5-10 minutes and place into a pipe bag.
Assemble:
Cut cake into square pieces. Place one piece on your plate. Pipe your icing just around the perimeter of the cake. Place another piece of cake on top. Again, pipe around the perimeter and follow up with one last piece of cake.

Source: Death by Chocolate Cake by Marcel Desaulniers, via Peabody Rudd at http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com

Tonk

2011-10-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

Check this story out. I think you can click the video link to see the Letterman show part.

They Caught the Bad Guy

2011-10-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

Oh. I'm glad they got this guy. They had some warnings out about him. Last time there was a big man hunt the guy was hiding out in my boss's flower bed. Seriously. In her back yard. He tried to hijack her neighbor.

I can't seem to stop shopping

2011-10-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone have an opinion on Josef Siebel shoes? I'm still searching for the perfect sandals....

Also... can I get an opinion on these boots? I need something fantastic and comfy in a size 10.

Hot went to bed early tonight so for the last 90 minutes I've been surfing for panties for Elle, boots for me, a hat for Sweet, socks/sandals/slippers for Tuff & anything on clearance at Land's End. I want heavenly fleece, cashmere and anything made of modal. This skirt is cute and very much my style. I also want to know if blissful knits are as lovely in person as they are in the pictures.... because I'm always up for a nice drapey cardigan.

Gads... maybe I should relabel this post "My Wish List" and email it out as my Christmas list.... anybody listening??

Dinner Last Night

2011-10-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

So we are getting down to the grim bottom of our upright freezer in the garage. We have no meat. Hunting season is on the way. My mom swears she has lots of hamburger at her house but no cut meat. But she also mentioned 4 open cows...so meat will be coming regardless of the outcome of hunting season.

Anyway. We have several packages of halibut (courtesy of my sis-in-law's time in Alaska) that I'm terrified to cook. My people, in spite of their boat heritage, are not fish people. Don't get me wrong.... I enjoy a nice tuna sandwich now and then and I love sushi.

But I don't cook fish.

So last night Hot got brave.

He got out the electric frying pan, a little butter, some garlic salt & pepper. Then he added some sliced sweet onions. I made bowtie pasta with loads of veggies and parm for a side... or a backup if needed.

It was delicious.

Truly.

The kids all had seconds and we added it to our list of "likes" and have plans to make it again this weekend.

Much sadness.

2011-10-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

Sammy died.

Sam was our daycare provider's golden. She was a great dog. She loved the kids and loved going for walks. She stayed in the yard and off the busy street. She barked at me every single time and then wagged her tail and waited for a petting.

I've seen her at least every week for the last 7+ years.

House Stuff I Don't Need

2011-10-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

I just ordered this bench.

And this slipcover in natural.

My husband always comments on me ordering some cheap shit in hopes of making our house lovely but he was BEGGING me to get a new couch cover.

I had a 20% off coupon and free shipping.

$55.99 for the bench and $71.99 for the slipcover.

I got a great one-piece slipcover from Target ($50) that I liked but it was chocolate brown suede. Dark brown and suede don't match my dog. It always looked awful. So we will try this.... hopefully the two-piece option will work out. And I'll cut up the old cover and make pillows or something.

Let's Go Junkin'

2011-10-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Part of the plan for the long weekend was a bit of photo documentation of The 'Stead. Because, really, most people just won't believe it until they see it. So we wandered to the junk shed.

I think this was a machine shed long ago. Both chunks of the front open up. And that old pallet? Stragetically placed to cover a giant whole.

We approach. WTF is up with that tire? I'll tell you. I rolled it there from somewhere else and it is too f-ing heavy for me to get over the threshhold and into the shed.

We enter. Dude. Scary.

Seriously. I open the door and just pitch shit in. Yes, that's an old printer, a plastic liner for a whiskey barrel and two rose plant winterizers.

I keep thinking this junk should be tossed.... and then I need something and find it in here.

Oh, wait, back up. Back to the door. Do you see the remnants of an old hornet nest? I was due-any-day with Tuff and I needed something from the shed.... and a hornet stung my hand. Stupid hornet. I killed him and whacked his house right off the door.

See? There it is.... down there between the old picture frame and the old tv antenna.

The old picture frame was actually the point of this expedition. But I decided it isn't quite right for what I want... so it stays in the shed. Also note handy roll of flashing in the front. Sharp as all hell but excellent as a magnet board if properly framed.

Hee-hee. Who doesn't need an old cake pan, a fossilized suitcase, a few bricks and a rusted coffee can?

The "work" bench. Oh look... more flashing.

There is a project in those old wooden boxes.... I just know it. Also... see that grind stone? I need another one and I'm going to make the coolest water feature EVER.

Seriously.... treasures. And an old gate.

More storm windows and more old oil drums. And a basketball hoop. Oh.... the stacks of tires are actually my father-in-law's....

Wh doesn't need an old tv antenna? You laugh but I've used lots of those lightweight aluminum pieces for.... stuff.....

I was going to hang some baskets on this frame and put it behind the toilet.... but I don't know if it will work. I thought it was smallish but now looking at this picture I might have to go get it and drag it in the bathroom to see.

Saturday's Struggle

2011-10-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

I'm struggling here.

It's a lovely Saturday and I have big plans for cleaning and organizing and I can't get off the couch. My head aches and I have chills and a bad case of laziness.

The kids and I got flu shots yesterday. I swear... they make me sick. I'm on the second pot of coffee so things should start looking up soon but.... Bugsy has a fever and that random glassy-eyed look. Sweet is gimping and limping because he got his shot in the leg. Tuff woke me up at 5:30 this morning with a stomach ache.

So we are watching a fairy movie in our jammies and folding laundry.... I'm still catching up from not having laundry detergent for 4 days. Lunch will be snack foods and if we feel betterlater we will get cleaned up. If all goes as planned, we are heading to a fund raiser tonight.

Bug didn't have a daycare provider yesterday so I took the day off. We dropped the bigs at school and hit Target. Didn't find a damn thing on my list except some kid shampoo. Then to Shopko to try to find a couch slipcover.... Shopko doesn't open until 9. So we walked over to Albertson's and picked up a few groceries to kill time. We got absolutely nothing at Shopko OR at Joanne's. Joanne's kind of depresses me these days..... I can't keep my kitchen floor clean... why would I need another freakin' project or craft to do??? It STILL wasn't 10:00 (The real goal was Costco for laundry detergent and supplies. Also *rant* I went three weeks without going to Costco and all that happened was we ran out of milk and I spent $300 this time instead of my usual $200) so we stopped at Lowe's. Big Mistake. I didn't buy anything but came home with a stack of smartstrand samples. It has a lifetime warrenty for pet urine. Can this possibly be true? The online reviews are promising.

That brings up color. Hot is a big fan of "frieze" style carpeting.... although he doesn't know what that means. I don't like carpet as a rule so I'm ok with frieze.... it is soft and furry and will hide a lot of sins (and a lot of lego and barbie shoes). As to color.... Hot is color blind. He's voting neutral beige and not too dark. But I could put in peacock blue and he wouldn't be able to be sure it wasn't beige. I like Gwinnett Cool Cactus and Gwinnett Diamondback. Slightly darker than apartment beige but not chocolate-y dark.

So that's the current carpet saga. Now we are battling about which rooms to do. He thinks we should just do the living room and stairs.... I think the install cost is $100 for the whole house so why not do the upstairs bedrooms at the same time. Peach. Do I need to say it again? Peach. And, also, stinky. Odd... old lady smell. His reasoning.... how do we do it and move the furniture around? My answer.... I already asked. We cram the furniture in one bedroom while they carpet the other. Then they move to the stairs while we shuffle the furniture from the uncarpeted bedroom into the one that is done. Ta-fuckin-da.

Watch and see. Nothing will happen. We won't do a damn thing. Sigh.

Cuteness from last weekend....

2011-10-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

2011-10-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

Forgive the old photo from when I was painting but here's my next design challenge. The closet door.

Let's look at it, shall we?

1. Notice the fake wood trim on the outside door and baseboards and the painted trim on the closet? How does that happen?

2. I'm plotting a built-in where the little desk it. Probably 24"-36" wide.... cabinet below with pull-out shelves filled with baskets of shoes. A big (narrow) drawer and 12" deep upper cabinets with doors. The drawer will become the junk drawer. The upper cabinets may house my wine glasses and good dishes..... or hats and mittens. The challenge is figuring out what to do with the phone jack and outlet.... either move them or have part of the cabinet cut out. But that is in the distant future.

3. I need ideas about the trim and about the door itself. I thought of getting a new door but I'd rather repurpose.

Chalkboard paint
Beadboard
Some sort of trim
Pegboard
Markerboard
Corkboard
Sheet metal
Hooks
Hanging baskets

Here are some more "keeping it real" photos for ya......

Bone... Bone... who knew I loved herringbone?????

2011-10-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

traditional bathroom design by san diego interior designer andrea may

First... I love that style of cabinet and color. Second.... I love those tiles. Can I have this look in my bathroom please????

More Kitchen Love

2011-10-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

traditional kitchen design by san francisco architect Mahoney Architects & Interiors

traditional kitchen design by san francisco architect Mahoney Architects & Interiors

This is a lovely floor plan if we ever do get around to remodeling. I already have stools like that. Now I just need white cabinets and wide plank floors. And about 100 extra square feet or so....

Clever Idea to Create a Closet

2011-10-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

traditional kids design by manchester architect LKM Design

I'm saving this idea in case we ever need to give Sweet a closet. Also... that looks just like the rug he already has in his room.

Whirlwind weekend

2011-10-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

Last week was a perfect storm at work. All sorts of deadlines and programs and things that had me running absolutely ragged, multitasking to the enth degree and hitting Starbucks with alarming regularity. Add in some other stuff and stir.

Friday night, instead of curling up with a good book and a glass of red, the kids and I headed to Butte. My sister was doing music for the rodeo and my mom was hanging out with my now-one-month-old nephew. So we got some good baby face time.

The kids swam and swam. We learned that dorking around at breakfast equals spilled.... everything. We hit the mall..... why is Butte's mall go much better than ours? Silverbow Pizza for a late lunch and we hit the road again.

The plan was to get home about 4:30 so we could spend time with Daddy and have all day Sunday to dork around. Alas..... Daddy called about 3:30 and was on his way to a fire. Change of plans. So we hit Target for a bit and then took Sweet to a birthday party at the corn maze. The girls and I did some long-overdue errands and goofed around at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Gotta love those massage chair displays.

I actually, for one short moment, had EVERY ERRAND done. Then I realized we are almost out of kid shampoo and I had to start a new Target list.

Then home for snuggles, bedtime routine and that long awaited glass of red.... and the last two episodes of Sons on Anarchy Season 3 on netflix.

Sunday morning was pretty productive in the cleaning arena. We put up the new rod for the girls' play house. Photos later. Then my mom showed up and we sat around and talked like we hadn't spent the last two days talking. I made a bit of progress on the laundry room constant struggle... although I didn't do any scanning and the pile grows ominously HUGE.

Made delicious calzones for dinner and had a dreamy sit-down meal with the whole family, baths, played hair dress up and then off to bed for all.

More Floors

2011-10-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

I don't even have a Houzz account but I just love looking.....

I like the flooring in this one and the white cabinets and hardware. I'd love a big stack of drawers for my pots and pans.

Why do I like white cabinets? Mostly because I can't figure out how to do wood cabinets and still get wood floors and deal with the wood paneling in the living room all at the same time.

traditional kitchen design by philadelphia interior designer Deborah Leamann

I still dream of kitchens

2011-09-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

traditional kitchen design by other metros general contractor Tongue & Groove

Oh picture of a kitchen. How I love thee. I've reinvented my kitchen theory.

My original theory was to have a remodeled and bigger kitchen.... same basic layout but with an island instead of a penninsula. That evolved into an extended kitchen with a penninsula on the end and a rolling cart island. That's still my ideal.

But now that I've given up on ever adding on (yes, people will be using the peonies as a second bathroom for eternity) I've decided to focus on the remodel concept.

I still have this post as my primary inspiration.

I want (today anyway):

wide plank farmhouse flooring
white cabinets
dark counter tops (but if I had an island or rolling cart I'd want butcher block on it)
stove with gas top/electric oven/microwave above
remove the upper cabinets over the penninsula
lazy susan in both corners (one is currently a 9 inch wide opening that goes all the way back... at a right angle... to the wall.... not cool)

The current "look" is docuemented below... this was actually a photo I took showing the insanity several hours before a party..... Those upper cabinets must go. And all that lovely golden oak.... let's paint it white. Once the uppers are gone... does the corner cabinet and appliance garage stay? Or get replaced by a slightly awkward-to-reach regular cabinet? Hmmmm.

So, left side... doorway to laundry room, fridge, 24" of counter with drawers under it, stove w/micro above, lazy susan in corner. Front and right bottom views stay the same (although the little 9" cabinet on the left will be a lazy susan and not the horror it is now.... I can tell this is an old photo because the microwave in the wall hasn't died yet and the old black dishwasher is there.

This was the kitchen the day we first looked at the house.... I'm sad to see how much HASN'T changed....

I think I missed September somehow......

2011-09-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post any goals or progress for September. Oops.

1. Post every day in September. (So far, so good.)

2. Go on a fall family vacation. I think we should do this every month. (Done. Fairmont. Fun.)

3. Buy new bras and new boots. (Half-assedly done. I got a couple bras at Target. I bought three at Macy's and HATED them so I took them back. I'm shopping for cute fall boots but haven't really focused on them yet.)

4. Hang pictures in both kid rooms. (Almost done.....)

5. Reorganize the kitchen. (About 50% done... need to do the two upper corner cabinets this weekend.)

6. Find a place to store the sewing machine. (Ideas?)

7. Plan a minor exercise routine. (Done. October's goal will be to implement.)

8. Do some fun things with Tuff. (Ears pierced, coffee shop stops, planning a "girl party" and plans for a lunch date.)

9. Wash outside windows. (Fail.)

10. Paint porch posts. (3 done... thousands to go.)

Things I may have said this week.....

2011-09-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

"Why can't she just find a nice little transgendered boy to play with? Why does she want to be friends with those snotty little girls with the snotty mothers?"

"Son. Truly. Sometime in the distant future when you look back on your second grade class picture know that I love you. And I demonstrated that love by letting you wear those goofy-ass shorts with that shirt and those socks for picture day."

"We sit when we eat suckers."

"Hell yes. Coffee helps women not be depressed. The New York Times says it so it must be true."

"Please. If you love me. Bring me back some gingerbread from that fantastic bakery in Bozeman."

"But I like salted caramels. And the NYT says I need my coffee so I don't get depressed...."

"I know I said I want to support small local coffee shops but the drive-thru I usually go to when I need a treat has gotten too f-ing strange..... let's go to Starbucks."

"Surely today is Friday."

"Boots. I need boots. Riding boots."

"Fuck-a-nuck."

My girl has style

2011-09-27T22:15:00.000-07:00