I think we are pretty much out of the clear. Yes I woke up yesterday morning to a light coating of snow on the ground, but I feel like that was it. It has got to be because I have to wash my winter jacket that is as of now, covered in dirt and concrete so it needs to be washed. And once it is washed, it is getting packed away with all of the other winter stuff. So you see, we really cannot have any more winter jacket weather because I won%u2019t have a jacket anymore. It must be sweater weather or warmer and that is that. Are you listening weather?
The week good, if not a bit hectic and all over. There was work, paper work, the %u201cmust not be mentioned%u201d and no they are not done yet but must be by next Monday or else. The mr has been running around all over town doing this and that which has been a slight pain because when he is super busy and I am busy and we only have one car and my bike needs a good tune up before it is safe%u2026 Well it makes things some what difficult. But so far we have managed and there wasn%u2019t too much arguing over car. We did manage to take a nice walk down by the lake, I also was able to sneak in a warm afternoon of clearing out the garden and picking up yard trash. The back porch is almost ready for summer living and green things are popping up all over the place making me ache for more more more. Think of it, trees with leaves. I am getting more excited every day.
Friday was a crazy day. Woke up, went to the gym with no plans other then work at the studio and having the littles over for dinner. By the time I came home I had plans to quickly make a cake before work because the littles pizza party turned into a family birthday party for Megan. So I made that cake, ran to work, moved 700lb of clay and loaded kilns. The mr picked me up with littles in tow, we ran home in time for all the family and partied partied until I kicked everyone out of the house at 7 because I was exhausted and plus Megan needed to go to Costco so she needed to leave anyway. Ha.
Yesterday, after a near sleepless night due to a racing mind, we woke up (again, to snow. BLAH), I bundled up and out we went to spend half the day pouring wet, heavy, cold concrete. I must say, pouring concrete usually isn%u2019t the worst, but yesterday, well it was. First off, we were working in very tight quarters making moving somewhat difficult.. Secondly, I was sore from all the clay moving the day before. And I was freezing. And tired, so so tired. By mid morning my fingers and toes had tuned to ice, I was covered in so much dirt and concrete, the mr was basically rolling around in dirt (reference picture above) so was trashed worse then me, but we were getting it done. The mr was brilliant and saved us so much time and hassle by coming up with a tarp and jostle concrete mixing technique so that was good. Anyway, the concrete was all poured and it is over. (Now we wait for it to set to finish porch construction) The rest of the day was short and went by with cleaning the house. I don%u2019t know how my family does it but there were sprinkles from the cake EVERYWHERE!
Today, after a quick romp to the gym, the library, the grocery store, and all the other little chores I need to do, the mr and I are going for a drive to look at a van. We need a work car. The life car is getting trashed, we have been having to get materials delivered (which costs money and stupid time) because we cannot fit wood and big stuff in the car, and it is just not practical for us to share. So van. A van for work, A van for cross country travel. A van for sanity. Hopefully this van is the one. Wish us luck.
Some stuff from the internet that you might care to look at.
-Thinking real hard about buying these Birkenstocks%u2026but not sure. Any opinions?
–Stop Asking Kids What They Want to Be When They Grow Up The question forces children to define themselves in terms of work. And really, what do you consider grown up?
-Gluten sensitive? Try sourdough. Why Some Gluten-Sensitive People Can Still Eat Sourdough Bread.
–Kitchen spices look startlingly different in the wild. So pretty
–Brown is one of my favorite colors
-Got a power drill? If yes, you also have a oven cleaner. I Cleaned My Oven with a Power Drill
–All Right. Some Cats Do Fetch. Only never fetched. That would have been beneath him. But he did respond to his name. Cats Might Not Act Like It, But They Know Their Names As Well As Dogs
-I very much like this house.
-Will Kevin Costner be my neighbor? Floating cities could ease the world%u2019s housing crunch, the UN says
–10 Things Nobody Tells You About Plywood. I love a good application of ply wood. We have plywood floor tiles in the pantry and our kitchen cabinets are plywood and they are great.
And some pictures from the week.
Mid January. I love this time of year. All the big holidays are over so the pressure is off, my body is acclimated to all the snow and cold so I handle it just fine, and every day gets a little bit longer. I feel like it’s when I really get %u00a0focus on and enjoy winter for all it’s greatness. It’s just so dang pretty and I am again wondering why I do not live in a little cabin in the middle of the woods. Or why I have yet to go sledding. On the agenda for the week…Build a cabin and speed down a hillside on my ass. Can’t wait.%u00a0
The beginning of the week I was still feeling like garbage. I thought for sure that what I had was a 24- 72 hour thing, but it lingered well into the week. (watch out, everyone is getting it) I feel better now, but am still a little low energy. Getting sick sucks so I think I won’t do it again.%u00a0
And the twins turned 20. I would tell you all about how great it was to hang out with them but they are too cool and didn’t return any of my texts for hanging out and I guess they don’t care about me any more so whatever. Instead the mr and I brought Judah over to Shanons to crack eggs and make giant bowls of marshmallows with Cameron for dinner. So Happy Birthday Mark and Paul. You suck.
The mr and I made a trip out to Barton for a day of hard work. We gutted a bathroom, the mr moved some plumbing,%u00a0and Jes and I starred down an actual “shit hole”( i.e. a hole that shit comes out of and is the proper use for the term), while sewage spewed all over the place and the mr stood strong and held up all the pipes in a sea of shit. It was a very dirty job, but someone had to do it. Unfortunately it was us, but there are worse things I guess.%u00a0%u00a0And now Jes is well along her way to putting a floor down over the hole %u00a0and spending quality time with the purple swans the adorn her bathroom walls.%u00a0
After that, the week just flew by. There was the farm share (thank goodness, I was starving), more family stuff with my and the mr’s family,I re-pierced my ear and may have gotten it infected,%u00a0and I started a new sourdough starter (the yeast loves Red Cat Farm flour!). And let’s not forget the crazy ass weather. Friday afternoon I had all the windows and the front door wide open and the heat turned off. 60 something degrees and almost every speck of snow had melted. It was so, well, it was nice, but so weird. And very short lasting because we got like 6 inches and dropped like 70 degrees by the next day. Ah, Vermont. Love it or go crazy.%u00a0
Today is one of those days where it could go either way. I have a pile of papers that I need to go through, people to see, laundry to do, but I am also thinking that an afternoon of wondering outside,%u00a0reading and knitting might just take priority. Next week is going to be hectic so maybe I rest up today. And ice my ear because it really hurts.
What the Internet had for me to read.%u00a0
-I love these so much I need to print them out, especially Backpfeifengesicht because it makes so much sense.%u00a030 Untranslatable Words From Different Languages Illustrated By Anjana Iyer
–The Rolling Huts: An Architect%u2019s Alternative Approach to Camping. My new life plan right here. Seriously. Buy the land and build the huts. It’s gonna happen.
-After reading this book I feel like I should just make life all about the bread.%u00a0Sourdough: A Novel.
-Mushrooms are magical, and not just the magical kind.%u00a0Do Medicinal Mushrooms Actually Work?
-Are Gummy Bear Flavors Just Fooling Our Brains? It’s all the colors. Our brains do weird things.%u00a0
-I could eat that whole thing. Giant Cabbage.%u00a0
-Periods piss me off.%u00a0There%u2019s a reason using a period in a text message makes you sound angry
–Inside One of America%u2019s Last Pencil Factories. This is pure awesomeness and make me really happy.%u00a0
-Talk about some sweet ass sweaters.%u00a0Custom Hand-Knit Sweaters Blend Subjects into Urban Environments
–It’s January: Time to Plan Your Garden.%u00a0I can’t wait for seed catalogs!!!
Pictures from the week.%u00a0
This is the golden time of the summer. Warm days, cooler nights. It’s still summer but fall is so close that sometimes you can almost feel it, like in the morning when it’s chilly enough for a sweater or see it when you notice a few tips of trees turning colors. It’s the best and I am eating it all up.%u00a0 Plus I am really excited for apple soon. Early macs should be on there way and I am craving me some apple stuff.
The week has been a little foggy very much productive. Foggy because my allergies have taken hold of my brain making me cranky and at some points unable to hold a single though. Productive because well we got so much done. See the porch(picture above) It’s freaking amazing. The mr is so so good. (he did most of it)%u00a0 And I am not the only one to think it. Every day that we are outside working on it, at least 5 old ladies have to stop and tell him how amazing he is. I think a few of them might have a little crush (hehe) So porch is built and painted and the sealant is drying out now, the rest of the house is painted, all the siding is finishes,%u00a0 and it’s pretty much done out there besides a few little things and landscaping. It’s crazy, I didn’t think it was ever going to happen. But it did and now on to the last big house project…The downstairs bathroom. Saving it for last because we have been using it as the dirty paint sink and litter box room (need to figure out a new spot for that) but now it’s time and back to the fixations of a bathroom remodel.%u00a0 I am on the hunt for a very specific, never to been seen in real life, cast iron corner shower base. I have seen a few pictures, but not many and I even had found one for sale but it was (was because they sold it) 4 hours away and we thought we could wait to buy it. Lesson learned on that one. We even took a trip to a few salvage yards and come up with nothing. So if you by chance have something like that, let me know. I need it to be happy.
Today is going to involve a bit of cleaning and organizing and bean picking? I have been slacking on my farm share pyo (it’s beans and flowers right now) because the garden in the back yard has been keeping me plenty busy picking out there. The tomato plants alone are a freaking jungle with a thousand pounds of fruit that is going to need to be picked this week. I am going to have tomatoes all winter long. So yeah, go to farm, maybe library, clip my nails, just take it easy. You know, do the Sunday thing.
Internet reads from the wee.
–These Are the Foods Climate Change Will, Well, *Change*
-Don’t just stare up at the sun, it will be bad. Planning To Watch The Eclipse? Here’s What You Need To Protect Your Eyes
-Bring back the swing set so I can play on it. A Short-Lived Swing Set Makes a Splash in Burlington’s South End
–It%u2019s Officially Too Goddamn Early for Pumpkin Spice. I completely agree. Also to freaking early for all the Halloween candy on display at the grocery store. IT’S NOT EVEN FALL YET!
-I would like to think I would be fine with this but I am not so sure. I guess I need to try it to see .World%u2019s longest suspension footbridge opens in Switzerland
-I would so buy it if I lived in Sweden, and had the money. This Gorgeous Greenhouse in Sweden is For Sale
–Why You Should Slurp, Not Sip, Your Soup. I am a slurper
–Why Newborn Babies Smell So Delicious. I hear it all the time from people around babies. What does it mean that I never find newborns to smell all that pleasant?
-Do you watch the GBBO? If yes, you gonna watch the new season? After seeing this, I am for sure. I mean, biscuits barfing up jam…. The New Great British Bake Off Trailer: Is It Saccharine? Creepy? A Surrealist Stop-motion Extravaganza?
–Vibrant Mushroom Arrangements
A few pictures from the week.
Holy FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!. That is what I have been saying every time I step foot outside my door. The mosquitoes are INSANE! I think I have gotten at least 100 bites in the past few days. No joke, they swarm around as soon as the door opens. They have chased me inside more then a few times and have taken more of my blood that I am willing to give. It is terrible and disgusting and I really really hate mosquitoes. (my white walls also hate the mosquitoes, there are blood splatters everywhere)
Other then the nasty ass mosquitoes, the week has been pretty good and super productive. Windows are re glazed and painted, half the siding is up, yard is clean and porch is painted. Give us a bit off good weather and we can get stuff done. We also managed to have dinner with Shannon one night then had Miley and Judah for dinner and crazy messy chalking another night (they discovered water and chalk makes a paste and covered themselves in thick war paint like chalk) I got a few new house plants and I am officially turning our house into a jungle. (makes me very happy)%u00a0 The mr has been working on some sweet stencils so there is little pieces of paper and spray paint everywhere and I am thinking about where to set up my pottery wheel. ( I think the loft is going to be my new pottery studio) So yeah, a full week of fullness and summer and all the people. Oh, and the mr would like me to mention that he has invented a new way to cook an egg. He calls it a broached egg. It’s when you are trying to hard boil and egg and accidentally break the egg when putting it into the water and the egg kinda seeps out and cooks that way. Half hard boiled, half poached… Broached. So smart that one.
Today brings with it some more fine weather. I don’t know what we have planned for the day, but I am hoping it is not too much. Maybe take the kayaks out, maybe burn some more siding? Hopefully not much work related stuff, but you never know. Whatever we do end up doing, I want to be outside. I just really hope that the mosquitoes are all dead.
How I interneted this week.
-Cherry Season! ALL THE CRAZY THINGS FARMERS DO TO BRING YOU THEIR CHERRY CROP.%u00a0 Where do I get a cherry cheat sheet?
-When I was a kid, every time I saw a banana peel I was sure someone was going to slip on it. The History of the Banana Peel Slipping Gag
–Does drinking a few cups of coffee a day help you live longer? Yes, yes it does.
-If your in need of some advice. This Is How You Get Stuff Done.
–Airline Passenger Checks Single Can of Beer As His Only Piece of Luggage hahaha
-Birds are smart so do forget that… Ravens Surprise Scientists By Showing They Can Plan
–The Uninhabitable Earth. Scary and very real shit people.
-I get it, sometimes you don’t want to get out the salad spinner but when you don’t wash your greens you are probablyeating dirt (and maybe some bugs) Here’s Photo Proof That You Really Should Wash Your Leafy Greens
–Desperate Ways to Stay Cool on the Hottest Days of the Summer
–Just Smelling Food Could Make You Gain Weight. But who wants to eat without tasting… that would suck.
Pictures from the week.
If a big ass pile of balloon animals (and balloon swords and flowers) doesn’t make you crack a smile, well then, that just sucks for you.
A couple of littles slept over this week and took over the house with balloons. Not only did the kids bring their own balloon kits, but the mr has a crap load of balloons himself that he inherited from my late brother-in- law Richard (he would be so happy to know that the mr uses these balloons to drive me crazy….thanks dude) And to top it off, we stopped over at the loft with the kids to grab a few things and there was as large bag of blown up party balloons that must have blown into our yard. Those also ended up in the car ans back at the house. Seriously, the house was flooded with balloons. It was kinda amazing.
This week has gone by like a blur. %u00a0 The mr finally got his wish and got himself a couple of fish. One is a gold fish which he named Lefty, and the other might be a goldfish that I named Dead -in- Two- Weeks (yes, I am an asshole). I am not exactly thrilled to have fish for a few reasons, mainly that I have been fish traumatized. Back in college the mr went through a fish faze. He would get a beta fish, name it, feed it, love it, then a week later the thing would jump form it’s fish bowl and commit fish suicide. It happened 3 times.%u00a0 So yeah, fish don’t do it for me, but the mr is happy so I deal. Plus these fish are goldfish and the tank has a cool lid that grows plants. We shall see.
There was some other stuff, like apartment stuff that happened this week, but mainly it was a quite week.%u00a0 We did finally tackle the kitchen pantry which I painted pink,and started putting up the shelves. Now i just need to pick a color tile for the floor and just get it finished already because once that happens the kitchen will basically be all done. And I will be so happy and I will take lots of picture to show you.
And it’s Sunday. You got any plans? Doing anything spectacular? I am still not feeling 100% which I blame on the weather. Super cold and crazy warm… the ups and downs really screw with me. (but those warm days were really so nice) Winter just needs to dump some snow and let me be cozy for a bit. (not happening this week) But what can you do? For me, I hope to keep it slow today, maybe do some napping, reading, drinking of too much coffee. Just as long as I order the flooring, I should be all set.
Some of the internet browsing I did this week.
-It’s 6 am, I am running at the gym, and I get a text from the mr. It’s a link to this, Dyson 360 Eye. Why he was looking at vacuums at 6am, i could not tell you but what I can tell you is no cleaning robots. NO.
-The world after a snow storm always makes me so happy and peaceful. There’s actually a scientific reason why the world gets quieter after it snows.
–The More You Swear, the More Honest You Are. Fuck yeah.
%u00a0
-I think I might try this for the mr this week. Roast Pasta Before Cooking it.
-I love mustard and am very interested in trying some on this list. THE MODERN PANTRY GUIDE TO THE WORLD’S BEST MUSTARDS
-Saving my pennies for a someday purchase of this Staub Round Cocotte. But this one by Martha is really good too and sooooo much cheaper.
-Muffins are basically cupcakes that people eat fro breakfast, don’t be fooled. Why Muffins Are a Trap.
–Walking In America Remains Dangerous. I would be lying if I said I was never afraid of getting hit.
–Bees Have Just Made the Endangered-Species List. It sucks that it has come to this, but it’s good that there is awareness and protection now.
-This dude is pretty badass. Sweater Selfies: Man Knits His Way Around The World
I feel like we are officially doing winter now. Snow and chill for the next three months. Some people might not be excited for any of it, but me, I am excited to get out in some snow covered woods and take it all in. I love me some winter.
This past week was a week of trying to feel not sick (still feeling a little sick) and to get myself all organized for the year. Not a new years resolutions, just a tax man thing. Aggh, already thinking of taxes.. lets just not right now.%u00a0 Besides that, not to much else. We babysat, worked, I tested out my new wood carving knives that the mr got me for Christmas and almost cut my hand off (which means tha they are really good).%u00a0 The week kind of flew by, but oh yeah,%u00a0 the kitchen, it’s like pretty much DONE!!!! I have a working sink, faucet, cabinet doors, and have been using the stove all week. It’s amazing, and strange and I am looking forward to lots and lots of kitchen time. There are still things that need doing, but last night I prepared our entire meal on the kitchen counter and not on the dining table or floor. It was a pretty great feeling.
Today. Got a day full of events.%u00a0%u00a0 Most pressing is that my twin bros are doing 19 today (Happy Birthday Shitheads) and are coming over in a few hours for some home made cinnamon buns that I need to go make. So I should go do that.
Interneting from the week.
–How the World’s Smallest Birds Survive the Winter. On the list of things to know.
-This seems like a positive start to a new year. The Year of Conquering Negative Thinking
–Every Single Food Trend That’s Been Predicted for 2017
-Interesting read. And more sugar in yogurt then ice cream..jeeze. The case for eliminating sugar. All of it.
-The strange and amazing things that happen. On This German Island, The Breakers Bring Gifts Ashore: Thousands Of Toys
Amazon Has a Patent for Floating Blimp Warehouses. I heard this a few days ago on the news… What the fuck? Is this for real what we are moving towards?
I love road art. Artist %u2018Roadsworth%u2019 Uses Public Streets as a Canvas for Art and Activism
-You learn something new about your food every day.
– Being an aunt to a nephew with deadly nut allergies is scary…I have almost killed him a few times. Giving Babies Peanut Butter Could Actually Prevent Peanut Allergies
A few pictures this past week.
Happy New Year! Hope you are all waking up to sunshine in your strut, happiness in you mouth, and kindness in your soul.
So much has happened in the past few weeks. Holidays full of family, friends, birthdays (Happy to Cam, Anthony, and Judah) and all around craziness. My phone got run over by a car(still works!!!),we finally changed the summer tires to snows (thanks Justin!) and Only has now officially moved in behind the couch and is enjoying the life of an indoor cat. We are getting so close with house, so so close.%u00a0 I know a few weeks ago I told you we about the counter top and how excited I was to un-mold it. Well what I don’t think I told you was that we un-molded it and it was fantastic. Then, trying to remove the sink mold from the middle with a hammer, I cracked it! AAAGGGHHHH. That was suck a bitch if a day. But we took it it stride and just made another one. And that one, that one is even better and amazing and is all nice and perfectly perfect. Once we did that we threw up a tile wall, hood vent, light fixtures and all sorts of little things that I can’t remember.%u00a0 Last night we slid the stove into place and fired it up for the first time! It was really stinky and great and I made the mr a pizza for all of his excellent work bringing me fire. It was so freaking satisfying to use an oven and feel slightly normal again. Now all we need to do is finish the cabinets, find a faucet that doesn’t suck, hook up the sink, and a bunch of other stuff and we will be all set. But the oven works so the coming weeks are going to be full of so much oven food so watch out! (i can’t wait to start posting more recipes!!!!)
On top of all the life stuff, I have been sicko all week, and so has the mr. Actually, he has been sick for two weeks and then lovingly gave me his ick. And it sucks. I am tired and snotty and sore and cranks. I have been eating large quantities of raw garlic, swiging apple cider vinegar, and drinking turmeric tea all day. (so I don’t smell the greatest) I bought elderberries to make some syrup a little while back but left them at the loft and we let my dad stay there this week so I didn’t want to go ransack the place looking for them. He is gone now so I’ll go find them and make us a wellness potion. We will be tops soon!
So 2017. You got any resolutions or plans? Me, no resolutions, just to keep on living with intention, kindness and love and to continue to pursue my goals. We have plans for some travels (cross country awesomeness part 2), plans for some life stuff, so we got things. But basically I am just looking forward to making this year good,%u00a0 and to be better with where I place my camera. (I can never seem to find it when I want to take pictures)%u00a0
Sunday. With today, I am going to relax and recoup. Drink my fluids (tea and coffee)%u00a0 take my naps, and wash the sheets (everyone should start a new year with clean sheets!)
Internet links to click if you like.
-Happiness vs meaning…How about some of both.%u00a0 In 2017, Pursue Meaning Instead of Happiness.
–15 of Carrie Fisher%u2019s Best, Most Honest Feminist Quotes.
-I already charge my cellphone on the machines at the gym, but it it floated , well that would be swell.%u00a0Floating Gym In Paris Uses Human Energy To Sail Down The Seine River
–A Short Catalog of Foods Discontinued in 2016
-Life is bigger then all of us. As A Rough Year Ends, We Turn To The Cosmos For Some Perspective
–Cross stitching awesomeness
– Maybe 2017 will be the year that I wear pretty things. I really like this dress.
–The Best Things We Read and Ate This Year
-I really want to go back to Iceland.(maybe we will this summer?!) 15+ Iceland Photos You Won%u2019t Believe Are From This Planet
-There is sugar in everything. How Much Sugar Can You Avoid Today?
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 15, 2019 by maximios • Blog
I think we are pretty much out of the clear. Yes I woke up yesterday morning to a light coating of snow on the ground, but I feel like that was it. It has got to be because I have to wash my winter jacket that is as of now, covered in dirt and concrete so it needs to be washed. And once it is washed, it is getting packed away with all of the other winter stuff. So you see, we really cannot have any more winter jacket weather because I won%u2019t have a jacket anymore. It must be sweater weather or warmer and that is that. Are you listening weather?
The week good, if not a bit hectic and all over. There was work, paper work, the %u201cmust not be mentioned%u201d and no they are not done yet but must be by next Monday or else. The mr has been running around all over town doing this and that which has been a slight pain because when he is super busy and I am busy and we only have one car and my bike needs a good tune up before it is safe%u2026 Well it makes things some what difficult. But so far we have managed and there wasn%u2019t too much arguing over car. We did manage to take a nice walk down by the lake, I also was able to sneak in a warm afternoon of clearing out the garden and picking up yard trash. The back porch is almost ready for summer living and green things are popping up all over the place making me ache for more more more. Think of it, trees with leaves. I am getting more excited every day.
Friday was a crazy day. Woke up, went to the gym with no plans other then work at the studio and having the littles over for dinner. By the time I came home I had plans to quickly make a cake before work because the littles pizza party turned into a family birthday party for Megan. So I made that cake, ran to work, moved 700lb of clay and loaded kilns. The mr picked me up with littles in tow, we ran home in time for all the family and partied partied until I kicked everyone out of the house at 7 because I was exhausted and plus Megan needed to go to Costco so she needed to leave anyway. Ha.
Yesterday, after a near sleepless night due to a racing mind, we woke up (again, to snow. BLAH), I bundled up and out we went to spend half the day pouring wet, heavy, cold concrete. I must say, pouring concrete usually isn%u2019t the worst, but yesterday, well it was. First off, we were working in very tight quarters making moving somewhat difficult.. Secondly, I was sore from all the clay moving the day before. And I was freezing. And tired, so so tired. By mid morning my fingers and toes had tuned to ice, I was covered in so much dirt and concrete, the mr was basically rolling around in dirt (reference picture above) so was trashed worse then me, but we were getting it done. The mr was brilliant and saved us so much time and hassle by coming up with a tarp and jostle concrete mixing technique so that was good. Anyway, the concrete was all poured and it is over. (Now we wait for it to set to finish porch construction) The rest of the day was short and went by with cleaning the house. I don%u2019t know how my family does it but there were sprinkles from the cake EVERYWHERE!
Today, after a quick romp to the gym, the library, the grocery store, and all the other little chores I need to do, the mr and I are going for a drive to look at a van. We need a work car. The life car is getting trashed, we have been having to get materials delivered (which costs money and stupid time) because we cannot fit wood and big stuff in the car, and it is just not practical for us to share. So van. A van for work, A van for cross country travel. A van for sanity. Hopefully this van is the one. Wish us luck.
Some stuff from the internet that you might care to look at.
-Thinking real hard about buying these Birkenstocks%u2026but not sure. Any opinions?
–Stop Asking Kids What They Want to Be When They Grow Up The question forces children to define themselves in terms of work. And really, what do you consider grown up?
-Gluten sensitive? Try sourdough. Why Some Gluten-Sensitive People Can Still Eat Sourdough Bread.
–Kitchen spices look startlingly different in the wild. So pretty
–Brown is one of my favorite colors
-Got a power drill? If yes, you also have a oven cleaner. I Cleaned My Oven with a Power Drill
–All Right. Some Cats Do Fetch. Only never fetched. That would have been beneath him. But he did respond to his name. Cats Might Not Act Like It, But They Know Their Names As Well As Dogs
-I very much like this house.
-Will Kevin Costner be my neighbor? Floating cities could ease the world%u2019s housing crunch, the UN says
–10 Things Nobody Tells You About Plywood. I love a good application of ply wood. We have plywood floor tiles in the pantry and our kitchen cabinets are plywood and they are great.
And some pictures from the week.
Mid January. I love this time of year. All the big holidays are over so the pressure is off, my body is acclimated to all the snow and cold so I handle it just fine, and every day gets a little bit longer. I feel like it’s when I really get %u00a0focus on and enjoy winter for all it’s greatness. It’s just so dang pretty and I am again wondering why I do not live in a little cabin in the middle of the woods. Or why I have yet to go sledding. On the agenda for the week…Build a cabin and speed down a hillside on my ass. Can’t wait.%u00a0
The beginning of the week I was still feeling like garbage. I thought for sure that what I had was a 24- 72 hour thing, but it lingered well into the week. (watch out, everyone is getting it) I feel better now, but am still a little low energy. Getting sick sucks so I think I won’t do it again.%u00a0
And the twins turned 20. I would tell you all about how great it was to hang out with them but they are too cool and didn’t return any of my texts for hanging out and I guess they don’t care about me any more so whatever. Instead the mr and I brought Judah over to Shanons to crack eggs and make giant bowls of marshmallows with Cameron for dinner. So Happy Birthday Mark and Paul. You suck.
The mr and I made a trip out to Barton for a day of hard work. We gutted a bathroom, the mr moved some plumbing,%u00a0and Jes and I starred down an actual “shit hole”( i.e. a hole that shit comes out of and is the proper use for the term), while sewage spewed all over the place and the mr stood strong and held up all the pipes in a sea of shit. It was a very dirty job, but someone had to do it. Unfortunately it was us, but there are worse things I guess.%u00a0%u00a0And now Jes is well along her way to putting a floor down over the hole %u00a0and spending quality time with the purple swans the adorn her bathroom walls.%u00a0
After that, the week just flew by. There was the farm share (thank goodness, I was starving), more family stuff with my and the mr’s family,I re-pierced my ear and may have gotten it infected,%u00a0and I started a new sourdough starter (the yeast loves Red Cat Farm flour!). And let’s not forget the crazy ass weather. Friday afternoon I had all the windows and the front door wide open and the heat turned off. 60 something degrees and almost every speck of snow had melted. It was so, well, it was nice, but so weird. And very short lasting because we got like 6 inches and dropped like 70 degrees by the next day. Ah, Vermont. Love it or go crazy.%u00a0
Today is one of those days where it could go either way. I have a pile of papers that I need to go through, people to see, laundry to do, but I am also thinking that an afternoon of wondering outside,%u00a0reading and knitting might just take priority. Next week is going to be hectic so maybe I rest up today. And ice my ear because it really hurts.
What the Internet had for me to read.%u00a0
-I love these so much I need to print them out, especially Backpfeifengesicht because it makes so much sense.%u00a030 Untranslatable Words From Different Languages Illustrated By Anjana Iyer
–The Rolling Huts: An Architect%u2019s Alternative Approach to Camping. My new life plan right here. Seriously. Buy the land and build the huts. It’s gonna happen.
-After reading this book I feel like I should just make life all about the bread.%u00a0Sourdough: A Novel.
-Mushrooms are magical, and not just the magical kind.%u00a0Do Medicinal Mushrooms Actually Work?
-Are Gummy Bear Flavors Just Fooling Our Brains? It’s all the colors. Our brains do weird things.%u00a0
-I could eat that whole thing. Giant Cabbage.%u00a0
-Periods piss me off.%u00a0There%u2019s a reason using a period in a text message makes you sound angry
–Inside One of America%u2019s Last Pencil Factories. This is pure awesomeness and make me really happy.%u00a0
-Talk about some sweet ass sweaters.%u00a0Custom Hand-Knit Sweaters Blend Subjects into Urban Environments
–It’s January: Time to Plan Your Garden.%u00a0I can’t wait for seed catalogs!!!
Pictures from the week.%u00a0
This is the golden time of the summer. Warm days, cooler nights. It’s still summer but fall is so close that sometimes you can almost feel it, like in the morning when it’s chilly enough for a sweater or see it when you notice a few tips of trees turning colors. It’s the best and I am eating it all up.%u00a0 Plus I am really excited for apple soon. Early macs should be on there way and I am craving me some apple stuff.
The week has been a little foggy very much productive. Foggy because my allergies have taken hold of my brain making me cranky and at some points unable to hold a single though. Productive because well we got so much done. See the porch(picture above) It’s freaking amazing. The mr is so so good. (he did most of it)%u00a0 And I am not the only one to think it. Every day that we are outside working on it, at least 5 old ladies have to stop and tell him how amazing he is. I think a few of them might have a little crush (hehe) So porch is built and painted and the sealant is drying out now, the rest of the house is painted, all the siding is finishes,%u00a0 and it’s pretty much done out there besides a few little things and landscaping. It’s crazy, I didn’t think it was ever going to happen. But it did and now on to the last big house project…The downstairs bathroom. Saving it for last because we have been using it as the dirty paint sink and litter box room (need to figure out a new spot for that) but now it’s time and back to the fixations of a bathroom remodel.%u00a0 I am on the hunt for a very specific, never to been seen in real life, cast iron corner shower base. I have seen a few pictures, but not many and I even had found one for sale but it was (was because they sold it) 4 hours away and we thought we could wait to buy it. Lesson learned on that one. We even took a trip to a few salvage yards and come up with nothing. So if you by chance have something like that, let me know. I need it to be happy.
Today is going to involve a bit of cleaning and organizing and bean picking? I have been slacking on my farm share pyo (it’s beans and flowers right now) because the garden in the back yard has been keeping me plenty busy picking out there. The tomato plants alone are a freaking jungle with a thousand pounds of fruit that is going to need to be picked this week. I am going to have tomatoes all winter long. So yeah, go to farm, maybe library, clip my nails, just take it easy. You know, do the Sunday thing.
Internet reads from the wee.
–These Are the Foods Climate Change Will, Well, *Change*
-Don’t just stare up at the sun, it will be bad. Planning To Watch The Eclipse? Here’s What You Need To Protect Your Eyes
-Bring back the swing set so I can play on it. A Short-Lived Swing Set Makes a Splash in Burlington’s South End
–It%u2019s Officially Too Goddamn Early for Pumpkin Spice. I completely agree. Also to freaking early for all the Halloween candy on display at the grocery store. IT’S NOT EVEN FALL YET!
-I would like to think I would be fine with this but I am not so sure. I guess I need to try it to see .World%u2019s longest suspension footbridge opens in Switzerland
-I would so buy it if I lived in Sweden, and had the money. This Gorgeous Greenhouse in Sweden is For Sale
–Why You Should Slurp, Not Sip, Your Soup. I am a slurper
–Why Newborn Babies Smell So Delicious. I hear it all the time from people around babies. What does it mean that I never find newborns to smell all that pleasant?
-Do you watch the GBBO? If yes, you gonna watch the new season? After seeing this, I am for sure. I mean, biscuits barfing up jam…. The New Great British Bake Off Trailer: Is It Saccharine? Creepy? A Surrealist Stop-motion Extravaganza?
–Vibrant Mushroom Arrangements
A few pictures from the week.
Holy FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!. That is what I have been saying every time I step foot outside my door. The mosquitoes are INSANE! I think I have gotten at least 100 bites in the past few days. No joke, they swarm around as soon as the door opens. They have chased me inside more then a few times and have taken more of my blood that I am willing to give. It is terrible and disgusting and I really really hate mosquitoes. (my white walls also hate the mosquitoes, there are blood splatters everywhere)
Other then the nasty ass mosquitoes, the week has been pretty good and super productive. Windows are re glazed and painted, half the siding is up, yard is clean and porch is painted. Give us a bit off good weather and we can get stuff done. We also managed to have dinner with Shannon one night then had Miley and Judah for dinner and crazy messy chalking another night (they discovered water and chalk makes a paste and covered themselves in thick war paint like chalk) I got a few new house plants and I am officially turning our house into a jungle. (makes me very happy)%u00a0 The mr has been working on some sweet stencils so there is little pieces of paper and spray paint everywhere and I am thinking about where to set up my pottery wheel. ( I think the loft is going to be my new pottery studio) So yeah, a full week of fullness and summer and all the people. Oh, and the mr would like me to mention that he has invented a new way to cook an egg. He calls it a broached egg. It’s when you are trying to hard boil and egg and accidentally break the egg when putting it into the water and the egg kinda seeps out and cooks that way. Half hard boiled, half poached… Broached. So smart that one.
Today brings with it some more fine weather. I don’t know what we have planned for the day, but I am hoping it is not too much. Maybe take the kayaks out, maybe burn some more siding? Hopefully not much work related stuff, but you never know. Whatever we do end up doing, I want to be outside. I just really hope that the mosquitoes are all dead.
How I interneted this week.
-Cherry Season! ALL THE CRAZY THINGS FARMERS DO TO BRING YOU THEIR CHERRY CROP.%u00a0 Where do I get a cherry cheat sheet?
-When I was a kid, every time I saw a banana peel I was sure someone was going to slip on it. The History of the Banana Peel Slipping Gag
–Does drinking a few cups of coffee a day help you live longer? Yes, yes it does.
-If your in need of some advice. This Is How You Get Stuff Done.
–Airline Passenger Checks Single Can of Beer As His Only Piece of Luggage hahaha
-Birds are smart so do forget that… Ravens Surprise Scientists By Showing They Can Plan
–The Uninhabitable Earth. Scary and very real shit people.
-I get it, sometimes you don’t want to get out the salad spinner but when you don’t wash your greens you are probablyeating dirt (and maybe some bugs) Here’s Photo Proof That You Really Should Wash Your Leafy Greens
–Desperate Ways to Stay Cool on the Hottest Days of the Summer
–Just Smelling Food Could Make You Gain Weight. But who wants to eat without tasting… that would suck.
Pictures from the week.
If a big ass pile of balloon animals (and balloon swords and flowers) doesn’t make you crack a smile, well then, that just sucks for you.
A couple of littles slept over this week and took over the house with balloons. Not only did the kids bring their own balloon kits, but the mr has a crap load of balloons himself that he inherited from my late brother-in- law Richard (he would be so happy to know that the mr uses these balloons to drive me crazy….thanks dude) And to top it off, we stopped over at the loft with the kids to grab a few things and there was as large bag of blown up party balloons that must have blown into our yard. Those also ended up in the car ans back at the house. Seriously, the house was flooded with balloons. It was kinda amazing.
This week has gone by like a blur. %u00a0 The mr finally got his wish and got himself a couple of fish. One is a gold fish which he named Lefty, and the other might be a goldfish that I named Dead -in- Two- Weeks (yes, I am an asshole). I am not exactly thrilled to have fish for a few reasons, mainly that I have been fish traumatized. Back in college the mr went through a fish faze. He would get a beta fish, name it, feed it, love it, then a week later the thing would jump form it’s fish bowl and commit fish suicide. It happened 3 times.%u00a0 So yeah, fish don’t do it for me, but the mr is happy so I deal. Plus these fish are goldfish and the tank has a cool lid that grows plants. We shall see.
There was some other stuff, like apartment stuff that happened this week, but mainly it was a quite week.%u00a0 We did finally tackle the kitchen pantry which I painted pink,and started putting up the shelves. Now i just need to pick a color tile for the floor and just get it finished already because once that happens the kitchen will basically be all done. And I will be so happy and I will take lots of picture to show you.
And it’s Sunday. You got any plans? Doing anything spectacular? I am still not feeling 100% which I blame on the weather. Super cold and crazy warm… the ups and downs really screw with me. (but those warm days were really so nice) Winter just needs to dump some snow and let me be cozy for a bit. (not happening this week) But what can you do? For me, I hope to keep it slow today, maybe do some napping, reading, drinking of too much coffee. Just as long as I order the flooring, I should be all set.
Some of the internet browsing I did this week.
-It’s 6 am, I am running at the gym, and I get a text from the mr. It’s a link to this, Dyson 360 Eye. Why he was looking at vacuums at 6am, i could not tell you but what I can tell you is no cleaning robots. NO.
-The world after a snow storm always makes me so happy and peaceful. There’s actually a scientific reason why the world gets quieter after it snows.
–The More You Swear, the More Honest You Are. Fuck yeah.
%u00a0
-I think I might try this for the mr this week. Roast Pasta Before Cooking it.
-I love mustard and am very interested in trying some on this list. THE MODERN PANTRY GUIDE TO THE WORLD’S BEST MUSTARDS
-Saving my pennies for a someday purchase of this Staub Round Cocotte. But this one by Martha is really good too and sooooo much cheaper.
-Muffins are basically cupcakes that people eat fro breakfast, don’t be fooled. Why Muffins Are a Trap.
–Walking In America Remains Dangerous. I would be lying if I said I was never afraid of getting hit.
–Bees Have Just Made the Endangered-Species List. It sucks that it has come to this, but it’s good that there is awareness and protection now.
-This dude is pretty badass. Sweater Selfies: Man Knits His Way Around The World
I feel like we are officially doing winter now. Snow and chill for the next three months. Some people might not be excited for any of it, but me, I am excited to get out in some snow covered woods and take it all in. I love me some winter.
This past week was a week of trying to feel not sick (still feeling a little sick) and to get myself all organized for the year. Not a new years resolutions, just a tax man thing. Aggh, already thinking of taxes.. lets just not right now.%u00a0 Besides that, not to much else. We babysat, worked, I tested out my new wood carving knives that the mr got me for Christmas and almost cut my hand off (which means tha they are really good).%u00a0 The week kind of flew by, but oh yeah,%u00a0 the kitchen, it’s like pretty much DONE!!!! I have a working sink, faucet, cabinet doors, and have been using the stove all week. It’s amazing, and strange and I am looking forward to lots and lots of kitchen time. There are still things that need doing, but last night I prepared our entire meal on the kitchen counter and not on the dining table or floor. It was a pretty great feeling.
Today. Got a day full of events.%u00a0%u00a0 Most pressing is that my twin bros are doing 19 today (Happy Birthday Shitheads) and are coming over in a few hours for some home made cinnamon buns that I need to go make. So I should go do that.
Interneting from the week.
–How the World’s Smallest Birds Survive the Winter. On the list of things to know.
-This seems like a positive start to a new year. The Year of Conquering Negative Thinking
–Every Single Food Trend That’s Been Predicted for 2017
-Interesting read. And more sugar in yogurt then ice cream..jeeze. The case for eliminating sugar. All of it.
-The strange and amazing things that happen. On This German Island, The Breakers Bring Gifts Ashore: Thousands Of Toys
Amazon Has a Patent for Floating Blimp Warehouses. I heard this a few days ago on the news… What the fuck? Is this for real what we are moving towards?
I love road art. Artist %u2018Roadsworth%u2019 Uses Public Streets as a Canvas for Art and Activism
-You learn something new about your food every day.
– Being an aunt to a nephew with deadly nut allergies is scary…I have almost killed him a few times. Giving Babies Peanut Butter Could Actually Prevent Peanut Allergies
A few pictures this past week.
Happy New Year! Hope you are all waking up to sunshine in your strut, happiness in you mouth, and kindness in your soul.
So much has happened in the past few weeks. Holidays full of family, friends, birthdays (Happy to Cam, Anthony, and Judah) and all around craziness. My phone got run over by a car(still works!!!),we finally changed the summer tires to snows (thanks Justin!) and Only has now officially moved in behind the couch and is enjoying the life of an indoor cat. We are getting so close with house, so so close.%u00a0 I know a few weeks ago I told you we about the counter top and how excited I was to un-mold it. Well what I don’t think I told you was that we un-molded it and it was fantastic. Then, trying to remove the sink mold from the middle with a hammer, I cracked it! AAAGGGHHHH. That was suck a bitch if a day. But we took it it stride and just made another one. And that one, that one is even better and amazing and is all nice and perfectly perfect. Once we did that we threw up a tile wall, hood vent, light fixtures and all sorts of little things that I can’t remember.%u00a0 Last night we slid the stove into place and fired it up for the first time! It was really stinky and great and I made the mr a pizza for all of his excellent work bringing me fire. It was so freaking satisfying to use an oven and feel slightly normal again. Now all we need to do is finish the cabinets, find a faucet that doesn’t suck, hook up the sink, and a bunch of other stuff and we will be all set. But the oven works so the coming weeks are going to be full of so much oven food so watch out! (i can’t wait to start posting more recipes!!!!)
On top of all the life stuff, I have been sicko all week, and so has the mr. Actually, he has been sick for two weeks and then lovingly gave me his ick. And it sucks. I am tired and snotty and sore and cranks. I have been eating large quantities of raw garlic, swiging apple cider vinegar, and drinking turmeric tea all day. (so I don’t smell the greatest) I bought elderberries to make some syrup a little while back but left them at the loft and we let my dad stay there this week so I didn’t want to go ransack the place looking for them. He is gone now so I’ll go find them and make us a wellness potion. We will be tops soon!
So 2017. You got any resolutions or plans? Me, no resolutions, just to keep on living with intention, kindness and love and to continue to pursue my goals. We have plans for some travels (cross country awesomeness part 2), plans for some life stuff, so we got things. But basically I am just looking forward to making this year good,%u00a0 and to be better with where I place my camera. (I can never seem to find it when I want to take pictures)%u00a0
Sunday. With today, I am going to relax and recoup. Drink my fluids (tea and coffee)%u00a0 take my naps, and wash the sheets (everyone should start a new year with clean sheets!)
Internet links to click if you like.
-Happiness vs meaning…How about some of both.%u00a0 In 2017, Pursue Meaning Instead of Happiness.
–15 of Carrie Fisher%u2019s Best, Most Honest Feminist Quotes.
-I already charge my cellphone on the machines at the gym, but it it floated , well that would be swell.%u00a0 Floating Gym In Paris Uses Human Energy To Sail Down The Seine River
–A Short Catalog of Foods Discontinued in 2016
-Life is bigger then all of us. As A Rough Year Ends, We Turn To The Cosmos For Some Perspective
–Cross stitching awesomeness
– Maybe 2017 will be the year that I wear pretty things. I really like this dress.
–The Best Things We Read and Ate This Year
-I really want to go back to Iceland.(maybe we will this summer?!) 15+ Iceland Photos You Won%u2019t Believe Are From This Planet
-There is sugar in everything. How Much Sugar Can You Avoid Today?
Pictures of some of the crazy.