It SNOWED!!!%u2744%ufe0f%u2744%ufe0f%u2744%ufe0f Finally. And after a good bout of freezing rain. But you know what, I liked that too. But snow. It%u2019s like all of a sudden the natural world makes sense again. No more balmy 50 degree days, just nice and cold. Freezing in fact but I love it. And seriously, my body does too. Those flip days where its damp and cool but not cold makes my hand swell and hurt. Give me teens and I am all good.
Besides the good weather we have had this past week, there hasn%u2019t been to heck of a lot. The mr and I did drive Megans face (and body) down to Boston for a quick hot minute (or literally an hour) to a doctors appointment and then jumped back into the car and drove home. That was a whirlwind of a day. Mostly I have been spending a lot of time down in the basement studio working on mugs and plates and a few other things, trying to stock up on stock for selling purposes and what not. Because after a lot of though and second guessing of myself, I have decided that I am going to try and start selling more of my pottery. Even have a little online store thing (which I am trying to build now and is harder then I care for it to be). I even started a new instagram account for it%u00a0(stemandnode) and am trying to figure out how to sell from that. So yeah, been busy trying to do business things.
Otherwise, same same. The mr has barely been home, working away on a few projects, shoveling snow, and showing apartments. We did get a to have an awesome hang out time and dinner with Judah. We did some drawing, ate some food, and just talked about how awesome we were. (That kid, he is one of my favorite humans.) I also spent time at the studio pugging clay and chatting up members. And finally, with a heavy heart, I moved the Christmas tree out of the house. It now resides on the front porch where it will probably stay for another few weeks. It just looks right out there.
We got even more snow last night (!!!) and snow means snowshoes and that is what we are doing today. I am very much excited. This will be the first time this winter that we are able to go! (due to lack of snow.) After snow shoeing, I think I am gonna hit the library, maybe go restock my spices from the bulk bins at the coop, maybe stop in an see the littles, and then hopefully, just come home and chill a bit. Get ready for a week of things and stuff. Make a big pot of split pea soup and go to bed early. Mellow and quiet. Sounds like an A+ day to me.
Some links from the internet to read.
–How Did Humans Boil Water Before the Invention of Pots? Whoa, what a process.
-Spending to much time looking at kilns. Maybe someday or maybe someone will just buy me one. HA
-Should we buy it?
–Our average body temperatures seem to be dropping. I know my average is like 97 something. I always thought I was special. I guess not.
–Apparently Cleaning Our Homes Gives us Just as Much Adrenaline as Race Car Driving. I guess I know how reach car drivers feel on a regular bases.
–Taking care of yourself has a few more benefits other then not feeling like shit all the time. Scientists Calculated How Much Longer You Can Live With a Healthy Lifestyle
–The New York Public Library Has Calculated Its Most Checked-Out Books Of All Time. I love LOVE that is was a children’s book, about snow!
-Oh this is so tempting. I miss working in coffee shops. This Irish Island Will Pay Room and Board for You and a Friend to Work in a Coffee Shop
–The Dark Side of %u2018Compostable%u2019 Take-Out Containers. Not as good as you thing.
–Awesome. Delicate Embroideries Feature Anatomically Accurate Lungs, Brain, and Facial Vessels
Pictures from the week
I finally got rid of the last of the Christmas tree needles just in time to replace them with glitter for the next few months.. It is my own fault. I didn%u2019t HAVE TO use glitter on a giant ass heart that I made for the mr, but I sure as heck wanted too. (I redact my statement%u2026 I HAD TO) It%u2019s ok though because glitter happens and you just gotta deal with it.
The week was the week. Nothing out of the normal. Nothing overly exciting. Valentines day was nice. The mr covered all the windows with little heart and besides the giant heart I made, I also made the mr a heart cake and heart bread and all his food for the day was basically in the shape of a heart. And we went snow shoeing where we might have almost stole a dog. Maggie was her name and she showed up out of nowhere on the trail which was out in the middle of nowhere. Hiked with us for a while, took off, and showed back up on our way out of the woods. Obviously she lived someplace close by and she did have a collar on (that is how we knew her name) but gosh, she was so sweet. She even walked us to our car and got in like she was ready to go home. Ugh, it hurts my soul a little. I miss having a dog. Who I really miss is Washer. Oh boy, here I am feeling all sad and shit%u2026..But the snow shoeing was amazing! Haha
Anyway, a mellow week. And now it%u2019s the second half of February so it basically going to be spring soon and mellow won%u2019t be staying mellow for long so I am going appreciate it for now, although I am getting little antsy for when I can finally pull out my sandals and open all the windows in the house and dirt. I am getting ahead of myself here. That is still a month or 3 away. But it is on my mind.
The mr and I don%u2019 t have any big plans for the day other then dropping in on the littles and maybe going out for coffee with Barb. We have a few chores that need done so we will probably do those%u2026%u2026 Whoo hoooo!
As usual, some links to read if you feel like perusing the Internet.
-Not going to lie, I completely see his point. Why Thomas Keller Thinks Farm-to-Table Is Absurd. I want the carrots from the farmer that is in love with his carrots too.
-Totally my type of home. . Life in This Verdant Home in Vietnam Is a Walk in the Park
–Here’s why ultra-processed foods are so bad for your health. So so bad.
-Baking fantastical things is not as easy at it might seem on the T.V. The Only Way I Got Through a %u2018Great British Baking Show%u2019 Challenge Was By Cheating
–I must make a fantastic pie soon.Dazzling Gradients and Geometric Designs Baked into New Pies and Tarts
-Got questions, here are some answers. Your Questions About Plastic Waste, Answered
-Genius. And the best feature is that it craps every last bit out of the jar.. This New Pump Will Help You Put Peanut Butter on Everything Without a Knife
–These Surreal Guesthouses with Impossible Staircases Have Alice in Wonderland Vibes. I think more like the movie Labyrinth and then I think of David Bowie in tight tights%u2026%u2026
–Please Don’t Let Your Tiny Dog Blow Away in the Wind. Real life problems.
-He climbs without any rops or harnesses. The guy is crazy. And amazing. A documentary I will watch. Free Solo.
And pictures from the wee
Did you get a good dumping of snow this week? Sunday was awesome. A good foot and a half and it came down fast. Enough where everyone was pretty much snowed in for a least part of the day. Too bad it was mother freaking cold out so being outside for too long was very uncomfortable, but still. Any snow is good snow to me!
Monday was still crazy with the snow and all the roads so things were not much different then Sunday. We managed to make it up to the hospital for a visit with Coco, and the mr did work some and had to go into town to shavel more, but other then that, we pretty much just hung around the house. I really wanted to go cross country sking or snow shoeing but it was still like -20 out so being outside for more then a half hour wasn%u2019t the smartest. My body couldn%u2019t handle it, but man, after a few walks in that cold, my nose and eyeballs felt like they were going to shatter. Oh and it was my birthday so there was that.
After a semi quiet Monday, it was back to it. Coco was in the hospital up until Friday so we had the older littles all week. So we would work and do our thing during the day but then meet them at home after school, do the homework, eat the snacks, make the dinners, fight about computer time and showers. Just the every day type of stuff. Then we would get them ready for bed, do balloon yoga, look up real estate listing for houses with a private bathroom for everyone that was within their school district (found and it was a million dollars) and then get their butts to bed. Part time parents we are. Good thing we like those littles.
Friday when Coco was finally released from the hospital prison, he and the other two came over for dinner, abc puzzles, and a sled walk. After that Coco went home while the two others slept over. Slightly burnt popcorn while they watched Bio dome and who the heck knows what else they did.. I was so exhausted I passed the F out.
Saturday was pancakes with the normal hoopla and then the littles went home. After that the mr and I did a few things, he worked, I cleaned. Right back to the grind.
I am hoping today will be a good day. We might get a little fresh snow and it%u2019s suppose to be hella warm out (mid 20%u2019s to 30 degrees!) and the roads are not treacherous so that means we can grab our snow shoes and head out into the woods. I need, like really really need some nature action. I didn%u2019t get enough last week. After that, well, I don%u2019t know. Maybe I will just build a snow fort in the woods and hide out for the rest of the week. So if you really need me, you might want to check the trees.
Interent to check out while I am away in my Snow Castle of Solitude (thats what I will name it)
–Sorry, SweetHearts Candy Hearts Won%u2019t Be Sold This Valentine%u2019s Day. Are you going to miss them?
-People are already complaining%u2026 It%u2019s way to early for that. Wait until mid March, that%u2019s when the fever really sets in. Yes, cabin fever is real%u2014here’s how to prevent it
–What’s Healthy At The Grocery Store? Shoppers Are Often Confused, Survey Finds. Ill tell you whats healthy, the stuff that is not in a box or can or has 1-2 ingredients like a bag or dried beans or whole wheat flour.
-Wool is an amazing fiber. 10 Things Nobody Tells You About the Benefits of Wool.
-Fresh spices are always the best but sometimes you find a little baggy stuck in the way way back of the spice drawer sooooo.. How Long Do Spices Actually Last? We Asked an%u00a0Expert.
–New ‘tent’ makes it possible to camp underwater. Always up for a new camping experience!
-Pack your bags for crazy town! 7 Things to Know Before Checking Into %u2018Lindsay Lohan%u2019s Beach Club%u2019
-The mr and I are back on finding a van or something to run away in. NOT YOUR AVERAGE AIRSTREAM. Any one of these will do.
–Can Americans learn to love ugly fruits and vegetables? I sure hope so. I never understood how people can think of produce as %u201cugly%u201d. The more fun the shape, the better. And a few dings and bruises in the food never hurt anybody.
–Can We Stop Calling Cake “Bread” & Bread%u00a0″Cake”? It%u2019s something about baking anything in a loaf pan. I call banana bread baked in a circular cake pan banana cake. It is what it is.
Pictures from the week. o
I am kind of sick right now. A chest cold thing and maybe e coli from all the romaine. Plus my arm hurts a shit ton from kind of dropping a 500 pound cast iron sink on it. Oh and I spilt boiling hot water on my leg and burn the shit out of myself, and I grabbed a falling cactus which got a hand full of prickers stuck into it. Plus I am still feeling all sorts of sad about Only. I guess you could say I am not at my finest right now. But this time nest week, I am sure I will be radiant and gleeful. HAHA. (But I sure do hope so.)
The past two weeks have been a blur. Only getting sick and then having to put him down took it all right out of me. Dealing with him being so sick and then the week after him being gone%u2026just so shitty. But there was good stuff too.. There was lots of snow that made me so so happy. Shannon had a pizza birthday party. The family did the annual pre -Thanksgiving Thanksgiving, which the mr and I only spent a short time at because we had to bring Only to the vets. There were dinners with the littles, more snow, cold weather, work stuff, broom shopping, heavy cast iron sink moving. There was stuff.
Then we did a little Thnaksgiving on actual Thanksgiving with Erin and the littles. We played board games (well, they did, I was cooking), made Christmas decorations, listened to Christmas music and danced a little. I made tofu lasagna, mac and cheese, potatoes, and bread. And of course there were veggies and fruit, but yea, starch bomb. But that is what the littles wanted. I am nothing but accommodating. Quite, low key, and everyone was happy. It was a just what I needed.
And then the day after Thanksgiving was Erins birthday so the littles came over again and we made her a cake and they slept over and we watched more Christmas movies and ate pancakes for breakfast all the while I was feeling like garbage. So after we brought them home, I kind of curled in on myself. I can%u2019t deal with being sick.
So today the mr and I are going to keep it a low key day, probably just putz around the house, maybe hang the Christmas lights outside, read a lot, drink lots and lots of hot tea (and coffee). I don%u2019t want to get any sicker then I am so I need to kick it. That%u2019s the goal for the day Get un-sick!
Some stuff from the internet that I looked at that you can look at too.
-I asked the mr if he could ever do a fake tree. He hesitated but said no. (the hesitation shocked me) I could never get a fake tree, or scratch that. I must always have the main tree be real. Having extra fake trees is ok. Hking in the woods to cut our tree down is probably one of my favorite things ever. Real all the way. Real And Fake Christmas Tree Sellers Fight For American Hearts And Minds.
–Reading Fiction Makes You a Little Nicer. With all the reading I do, should I be nicer. Ha
-We must ACT NOW! It isn%u2019t a freaking joke. Shit is already hitting the fan. Climate impacts grow, and U.S. must act, says new report
–Sweet Potatoes: It’s A Thin Line Between Love And Hate. Sweet potatoes are amazing. I can%u2019t understand how some people hate them. They just haven%u2019t had it roasted with cumin and chili powder or covered in tahini.
-Can Anyone Save PBR? The beer that conquered Brooklyn is on the brink of extinction. I know a lot of people who will be so sad if PBR goes away. (the mr for sure)
–Why Does It Seem Like Everyone Is Getting Sick from Salad? Another reason to eat as local as you can. (although more then half my food is local but I am still convinced I got E coli form the romaine%u2026 I need my own farm to grow ALL my own food!)
-Holiday crafting is the best. I am working on something like this.
–Breathing Through the Nose May Offer Unique Brain Benefits. To smell all the smells.
-I am really feeling these shoes%u2026but I will never buy them because I don%u2019t buy shoes. But someone needs to get a pair.
-Oh, The Places You’ll Go: Toilet Signs Try To Help
Pictures from the past two weeks. There are not a lot because I pretty much didn%u2019t take any pictures for a week.
I feel like we are stuck in Narnia with the White Witch. Always winter, always snow. It will be worth it though if I get to meet some talking beavers, but until then, I’ll start looking for the lion. This cold snow shit needs to end.%u00a0
The week has been pretty shity and very very stressful so we are going to leave that alone and I’ll just tell you about good things, like watching all of my house plants that I repotted grow like gangbusters. Or seeing the veggie seedings start to emerge from the dirt.%u00a0Half of them need to be repotted but the other half need to go directly into the ground. Glad I didn’t get to it this week because the snow and the snow and the ice, oh, and the stupid snow. We were with the Miley, Judah, and Emerson every day this week. We helped them clean and organize their bedrooms,which was stressful, but also fun. I almost accidentally %u00a0broke Mileys toes off, Judah showed us magic tricks,%u00a0%u00a0and Emerson taught %u00a0us all the alphabet. (And the mr got to play with so many dolls). There was time for So to stop over so I could fix her dress and eat carrots and make me laugh with all the funny faces. And we even had a few days of some what nice weather where I was able to open the windows in the house (that did not last long). Oh and the fridge, I was able to clean the shit out of the fridge. The week didn’t completely suck.
%u00a0I think that highlight of the week is that we found and %u00a0awesome new couch (and skill saw).%u00a0While we were looking for replacement faucets for the bathroom sink (because it is leaking bad)%u00a0we stumbled upon a very nice, not to big, not to small, vintage, excellent condition, very comfortable, couch. And it was on sale, like super cheap and pretty much exactly what we have been looking for.(there is a picture bellow) %u00a0Our current couch, the little yellow one that we use %u00a0in our spare room, is way to small and very uncomfortable and after today, it’s going bye bye. We pick up the new couch tomorrow. And when we do we will continue or search for a new faucet because we did not find what we were looking for. Until we do we %u00a0will be brushing and washing our hands in the bathtub.%u00a0
Today is going to be the first day in more then a week that the mr and I do not have some crazy crazy happening. So what are we going to do? Well I think we both need to turn off our phone, lock the doors, draw the curtains (we don’t have curtain) and hide from the world. Will that really happen, no, but it’s nice to think about. But I do think we will spend the afternoon relaxing a bit. I’ll paint, or read, the mr will probably work on screens or his fly file (it’s officially fishing season) and then we will go to bed early. Next week is a busy, but hopefully a good busy and not like shitty busy. Wish us luck.
What I looked at when I was looking at the internet
-I probably wouldn’t use it as a headboard but as a sweet ass wall piece… maybe someday I will get to it.%u00a0How to Make a Woven Headboard
-Now this is a sweet little cabin in the woods.%u00a0
–Fact or Fiction: Can You Really Sweat Out Toxins?
-I used to listen to music at the gym but after sweating all over and then ruining my 2 different iPods, I stopped. But I still hear music in my head.%u00a0%u00a0How Your Body Reacts When You Exercise With Music, According to Science
-How to Keep Your Social Life When You Love Going to Bed Early%u00a0Be friends with other people who go to bed early too.%u00a0
-I really want to go see this movie, and after reading this, I want to see it that much more.%u00a0And I really hate scary movie ( I also might be kind of in love with John Krasinski).%u00a0A Quiet Place%u2019 Turns Eating Into a Suspenseful Act
-Watch out, those non organic strawberries are probably toxic.%u00a0Strawberries again top 2018’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ fruits and veggies
–Drug Use Is Detectable on Your Fingerprints.Say what?
–New 360-Degree Immersive Drawing Created With 120 Marker Pens by Oscar Oiwa%u00a0Pretty freaking crazy
-Really, who eats these things?%u00a0People Have Started Panic-Buying Necco Wafers
Pictures from the week
Ah winter.%u00a0Warm and sunny one day, then bam, snow and wind and bitter bitter cold. Why you got to be so fickle winter?%u00a0
I shoveled quite a bit this week. We didn’t get as much snow as some, but.we got enough to keep me busy.. The world is now heavy with fluffy (although it’s pretty heavy now)%u00a0white.%u00a0With all the snow we were able to go for a nice long winter hike AND we went snow showing which was fantastic and beautiful and was a great little end of winter treat. Now my hope is that we were going to finish up winter with this last hurrah this week %u00a0(another storm is a’comin). One more week is fine, I can handle one more week of really cold and snow and ice %u00a0because it will all of a sudden be spring. Then we can finally put the boots away and I can uncover my bike that I prematurely brought out into the world and is now a bike icicle (a bicycle.. haha)%u00a0%u00a0I can make it one more week, I think I kind of have too.
Besides the snow the rest of the week stuff went mostly well. As always there was work, littles, and a grocery cart full of cabbage,%u00a0%u00a0although I did break my freaking camera. I first I thought I just smashed the lense but there is definitely something broken it the body. How it happened? I got the strap caught on a handle while I was taking pictures and it kind of tugged/yanked out of my hand and smashed into the wheel of the kitchen island. So son of a bitch I have to get a new camera. But hey we got new tooth brushes and we all know that new tooth brush day is always a fine day.
Friday night we went out on the town and hit up the opening night of Mileys play Mary Poppins. First off, Miley was awesome and did a fantastic job.%u00a0Secondly, holy crap was that torture. I totally and completely understand that the play was more for the kids, and like the mr said, we were there to watch the kids learn and have fun, but 3 hours of sitting in plastic chairs with grumpy littles and not being able to even hear a word the kids were sayings… It was rough and it kind of kicked my ass. Yes, an elementary school play kicked my ass. But jeez, 3 hours…I guess I am not one for the theater.%u00a0
It’s Sunday and I am feeling fine.%u00a0The house is clean, I washed my hair last night so I don’t have to do it today, and I have a good book to keep me reading throughout the day. I am contepletaing weather or not to play around in the kitchen and maybe start making some bagels?… If not today, this week for sure. I might just settle for a %u00a0good long walk, coffee, and reading all day long. That would make me pleased as punch. Hopefully your day will make you pleased as ouch too.%u00a0
Internet reading from the week.
–The Science of How Your Diet Affects Your Mental Health. Of course it does and in so many many ways.%u00a0
–I heard on tv or something that the Unicorn is Scotlands national animal. I didn’t believe it but it’s true.%u00a0Why is the Unicorn Scotland%u2019s national animal?
-Tennessee ‘Natural’ Burial Ground Will Offer A Simpler Farewell %u2014 Casket Optional. Talking about what’s good after death isn’t always fun, but you know, it’s gonna happen some day. This place sounds just about right although I %u00a0don’t want to be buried in Tennessee, I want my own VT natural burial ground.%u00a0
-This is my kind of tiny house.
-I am partial to the dumpsters. Haha. But really, kinda of into this.%u00a0In Britain%u2019s Playgrounds, %u2018Bringing in Risk%u2019 to Build Resilience
%u00a0-I watched Even Stevens when I was in middle school and had a little crush on Shia LaBeouf. This biopic should be interesting. to say the least..Shia LaBeouf%u2019s Hollywood Comeback Begins with a Movie About Shia Labeouf
–Miniature Faux Fur Landscapes
-Do you hate it our love it? I very much love it.%u00a0%u00a0We Know (Some) People Hate Cilantro, but Why?
-I played (and won) a shit ton of Jenga in college.%u00a0Meet Leslie Scott: The Woman Who Invented Jenga
–IKEA Made the “Fast Food of the Future” and It Includes Vegan Hotdogs%u00a0Crickets and carrots and green buns for the win.
Pictures from the week.%u00a0
It’s officially kinda official. WE MOVED IN!!!! And yeah sure, we might not have a kitchen or a 100% functional shower, but hey, who needs that when you got a real freakin bed to sleep in. (we are showering and preparing food at the loft) Going form sleeping on a futon on wooden slates in a crawl space to our real bed, with a real frame, all in a giant room with windows….. It’s hella crazy.
Other then the move in, the week has been pretty jammed packed. Still spending every minute plugging away at the house all while making sure all of our tenants are keeping warm with working heaters. (we have spent way to much time at the plumbing supply store this week) Barb, the mr and I ditched a day of work and school to travel to the north and hit up the land of Canadian Ikea. The mission was simple. Get a kitchen sink and maybe a cool rug or a shelving unit, and for barb and the mr, to eat as many hot dogs as they could. Success was had. We go the sink, I got a jar and a rug, towels were bought and an obscene amount of hot dogs were eaten (I think they each ate somewhere between3.5 and 5, plus a fro-yo. Me I was happy with my carrots) We we home before dark and spent the remainder of the day hanging up the Christmas lights. It was a grand day indeed.
As for the mr, well he went and turned himself one year older. And what did we do?%u00a0 We went and had a happy birthday party with family and friends at the newly unfinished house. It was all sorts of fantastic. We frantically ran around to pick up all the construction mess, tossed some plywood on the cabinet frames, ran all over to make paper lanterns for the light bulbs hanging from the ceiling and cleaned the toilet. I made huge vats of soup and kept the warm in slow cookers (I am now a new owner of a vintage 70’s crock pot so I guess I need to learn how to use it) and we borrowed an electric griddle, cut up some veggies and fruit and had a soup and grilled cheese party. (shout out to barb for helping me cut all the everything, oh and having the first official dance party with me) A classic homemade vanilla cake with some Duncan Hines frosting and ice cream topped off the night. I must also mention that even with a house full of people, including a bunch of littles, there was barely any food wasted. My brother even asked where he could find my compost bin to toss the orange peels. That might have been the highlight of the night.%u00a0 After the evening my ass was tired so off to bed we went.%u00a0 Then I woke up. Nothing beats waking up at 5am the day after a party to a plywood covered pile of soup crusted dirty dishes.%u00a0 2 hours later, a rag, some peppermint Dr. Bronners and the bathroom sink made things look good again.%u00a0And now the house is full of every chair we have ever owned, every piece of mismatched bowl, plate, cup,jar, and spoon we could find, and a freezer full of wheat bread and lots of carrot sticks.
Yup, things are moving along. Pretty soon I’ll be cooking up a storm in new kitchen and will be bring you all some food posts to boot.%u00a0 The appliances are set to arrive tomorrow and all we have left to do is build the cabinets, run a few water lines, pour a concrete counter………
Today the mr have to remove the 500 plates, cups, bowls and spoons out and the rest of the birthday cake out of the kitchen area and get back to work to makingt he real kitchen thing happen. But the coffee pot and all the coffee has found it’s permanent home. I’ll have coffee all day long. Whoa hoo!
Things I saw and read on the internet that you can now see and read too.
-Not really a “gingerbread house” but what ev, it pretty fantastical. How To Build An Indestructible Gingerbread House. Gummy bear epoxy seems so right.
-Speaking of gingerbread houses. Holiday gingerbread cookies have a dark and violent past
–Cute Animation Imagines How Day Turns into Night
-A hairy tail has be found.%u00a0 First Dinosaur Tail Found Preserved in Amber
-This is a good guide with lots of good recipes. The Search is Over: This Map Will Find Your Sugar Cookie Soulmate
–I want this.
-Now I know where I have seen you before. Scientists Think Your Face Evolved to Look Like an Ape%u2019s Butt
–Why Nutrition News Contradicts Itself All the Time. One day my diet is super healthy and the next, I am probably going to die cause of it. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. (nah, I think I am good)
–A Brighter Outlook Could Translate To A Longer Life. Doing it
-I get excited every year when this list comes out (I know, I a dork). NPR%u2019s Book Concierge Our Guide To 2016%u2019s Great Reads
Picture fun time.
I made him throw this sock away….. It was time.
Have a fantasticday.
I know it’s early an I know it’s Sunday, but other than that I am having a hard time concentrating on much of anything. All I can think about is paint color, well that and the kitchen stove. (I am getting closer to making that decision. I am secretly hoping Bluestar will just gift me one.) Oh, and how I want to hang some lights on the house because what is the point of having a house without hanging the holiday lights. So I guess I am thinking, just not very clearly.
How was your week? Good I hope. Ours was kind of quite. We spent most of our time at the house working and feeling sick. I might have convinced myself at the beginning of the week that I had listeria due to the fact that I ate a shit ton of some hummus that was recalled due to contamination. But I am alive so I think I am ok. We did get to see lots of family, spend a little time in some woods, and even got to take a afternoon nap .(mostly because I was sick) And it snowed!!!! There is no more snow now, but there was and it was so white and fluffy and great. I am looking forward to having an actual winter this year with some actual snow.
The mr and I are working our butts off, trying to maybe move in soon, like as soon as possible. Yesterday at the house, the mr was downstairs patching up the pantry walls and I was upstairs, painting. The plan was to touch up all the paint and to paint the closet doors. Sounds simple right? Well it wasn’t. Long story short, I spent the entire day painting, hating, remixing, then repainting the closet doors in the bedroom. I didn’t get to anything else. I almost tore my eyes out of my head. I seriously repainted those freaking doors5 times, each time thinking that I likes the color. Then an hour later, after painting front ans back of both doors (they are louved so they take longer) then I would hate the color and start all over again. I was going a little crazy. I blame it on the fumes.
Today I am going to bring over a scented candle (to mask he smell of urethane), put on some Christmas tunes, touch up all the paint in the bedrooms and bathroom upstairs and paint those stupid closet doors one last time, color be damned.%u00a0%u00a0 We are getting there. It’s going to be great
There might even be some time to bust out the Xmas lights!
Internet for the looking.
-My hometown. America%u2019s First All-Renewable-Energy City
–Your Brain Can Barely Handle Conversation and Eye Contact at the Same Time.
–Cool Ass Lamps. The peacock is the best.
-My siblings.. Best friends, worst enemies. Love them all to pieces even when I want to punch them in the face. Give Thanks For Siblings: They Can Make Us Healthier And Happier
-I could spend forever in one of these (Cornell is my favorite). THE 15 MOST BEAUTIFUL COLLEGE LIBRARIES IN AMERICA
-Maybe someday I will sit around and make bird houses, but they have to be this cool. These Modernist Houses Are Literally For the Birds
-Can’t wait to go crazy and cover my life with all the green, it makes me happy. Green and Peaceful
-So I for sure talk to myself, sometimes just saying lists out loud, but sometimes….The mr always thinks I am talking to him. I have to tell him to stop budding in on my conversation. The Running Conversation in Your Head
-The mr always get me purple carrots in my stocking and my birthday. WTF ARE PURPLE CARROTS AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?
THE LOVELY CRAZY
January 28, 2020 by maximios • Blog
It SNOWED!!!%u2744%ufe0f%u2744%ufe0f%u2744%ufe0f Finally. And after a good bout of freezing rain. But you know what, I liked that too. But snow. It%u2019s like all of a sudden the natural world makes sense again. No more balmy 50 degree days, just nice and cold. Freezing in fact but I love it. And seriously, my body does too. Those flip days where its damp and cool but not cold makes my hand swell and hurt. Give me teens and I am all good.
Besides the good weather we have had this past week, there hasn%u2019t been to heck of a lot. The mr and I did drive Megans face (and body) down to Boston for a quick hot minute (or literally an hour) to a doctors appointment and then jumped back into the car and drove home. That was a whirlwind of a day. Mostly I have been spending a lot of time down in the basement studio working on mugs and plates and a few other things, trying to stock up on stock for selling purposes and what not. Because after a lot of though and second guessing of myself, I have decided that I am going to try and start selling more of my pottery. Even have a little online store thing (which I am trying to build now and is harder then I care for it to be). I even started a new instagram account for it%u00a0(stemandnode) and am trying to figure out how to sell from that. So yeah, been busy trying to do business things.
Otherwise, same same. The mr has barely been home, working away on a few projects, shoveling snow, and showing apartments. We did get a to have an awesome hang out time and dinner with Judah. We did some drawing, ate some food, and just talked about how awesome we were. (That kid, he is one of my favorite humans.) I also spent time at the studio pugging clay and chatting up members. And finally, with a heavy heart, I moved the Christmas tree out of the house. It now resides on the front porch where it will probably stay for another few weeks. It just looks right out there.
We got even more snow last night (!!!) and snow means snowshoes and that is what we are doing today. I am very much excited. This will be the first time this winter that we are able to go! (due to lack of snow.) After snow shoeing, I think I am gonna hit the library, maybe go restock my spices from the bulk bins at the coop, maybe stop in an see the littles, and then hopefully, just come home and chill a bit. Get ready for a week of things and stuff. Make a big pot of split pea soup and go to bed early. Mellow and quiet. Sounds like an A+ day to me.
Some links from the internet to read.
–How Did Humans Boil Water Before the Invention of Pots? Whoa, what a process.
-Spending to much time looking at kilns. Maybe someday or maybe someone will just buy me one. HA
-Should we buy it?
–Our average body temperatures seem to be dropping. I know my average is like 97 something. I always thought I was special. I guess not.
–Apparently Cleaning Our Homes Gives us Just as Much Adrenaline as Race Car Driving. I guess I know how reach car drivers feel on a regular bases.
–Taking care of yourself has a few more benefits other then not feeling like shit all the time. Scientists Calculated How Much Longer You Can Live With a Healthy Lifestyle
–The New York Public Library Has Calculated Its Most Checked-Out Books Of All Time. I love LOVE that is was a children’s book, about snow!
-Oh this is so tempting. I miss working in coffee shops. This Irish Island Will Pay Room and Board for You and a Friend to Work in a Coffee Shop
–The Dark Side of %u2018Compostable%u2019 Take-Out Containers. Not as good as you thing.
–Awesome. Delicate Embroideries Feature Anatomically Accurate Lungs, Brain, and Facial Vessels
Pictures from the week
I finally got rid of the last of the Christmas tree needles just in time to replace them with glitter for the next few months.. It is my own fault. I didn%u2019t HAVE TO use glitter on a giant ass heart that I made for the mr, but I sure as heck wanted too. (I redact my statement%u2026 I HAD TO) It%u2019s ok though because glitter happens and you just gotta deal with it.
The week was the week. Nothing out of the normal. Nothing overly exciting. Valentines day was nice. The mr covered all the windows with little heart and besides the giant heart I made, I also made the mr a heart cake and heart bread and all his food for the day was basically in the shape of a heart. And we went snow shoeing where we might have almost stole a dog. Maggie was her name and she showed up out of nowhere on the trail which was out in the middle of nowhere. Hiked with us for a while, took off, and showed back up on our way out of the woods. Obviously she lived someplace close by and she did have a collar on (that is how we knew her name) but gosh, she was so sweet. She even walked us to our car and got in like she was ready to go home. Ugh, it hurts my soul a little. I miss having a dog. Who I really miss is Washer. Oh boy, here I am feeling all sad and shit%u2026..But the snow shoeing was amazing! Haha
Anyway, a mellow week. And now it%u2019s the second half of February so it basically going to be spring soon and mellow won%u2019t be staying mellow for long so I am going appreciate it for now, although I am getting little antsy for when I can finally pull out my sandals and open all the windows in the house and dirt. I am getting ahead of myself here. That is still a month or 3 away. But it is on my mind.
The mr and I don%u2019 t have any big plans for the day other then dropping in on the littles and maybe going out for coffee with Barb. We have a few chores that need done so we will probably do those%u2026%u2026 Whoo hoooo!
As usual, some links to read if you feel like perusing the Internet.
-Not going to lie, I completely see his point. Why Thomas Keller Thinks Farm-to-Table Is Absurd. I want the carrots from the farmer that is in love with his carrots too.
-Totally my type of home. . Life in This Verdant Home in Vietnam Is a Walk in the Park
–Here’s why ultra-processed foods are so bad for your health. So so bad.
-Baking fantastical things is not as easy at it might seem on the T.V. The Only Way I Got Through a %u2018Great British Baking Show%u2019 Challenge Was By Cheating
–I must make a fantastic pie soon. Dazzling Gradients and Geometric Designs Baked into New Pies and Tarts
-Got questions, here are some answers. Your Questions About Plastic Waste, Answered
-Genius. And the best feature is that it craps every last bit out of the jar.. This New Pump Will Help You Put Peanut Butter on Everything Without a Knife
–These Surreal Guesthouses with Impossible Staircases Have Alice in Wonderland Vibes. I think more like the movie Labyrinth and then I think of David Bowie in tight tights%u2026%u2026
–Please Don’t Let Your Tiny Dog Blow Away in the Wind. Real life problems.
-He climbs without any rops or harnesses. The guy is crazy. And amazing. A documentary I will watch. Free Solo.
And pictures from the wee
Did you get a good dumping of snow this week? Sunday was awesome. A good foot and a half and it came down fast. Enough where everyone was pretty much snowed in for a least part of the day. Too bad it was mother freaking cold out so being outside for too long was very uncomfortable, but still. Any snow is good snow to me!
Monday was still crazy with the snow and all the roads so things were not much different then Sunday. We managed to make it up to the hospital for a visit with Coco, and the mr did work some and had to go into town to shavel more, but other then that, we pretty much just hung around the house. I really wanted to go cross country sking or snow shoeing but it was still like -20 out so being outside for more then a half hour wasn%u2019t the smartest. My body couldn%u2019t handle it, but man, after a few walks in that cold, my nose and eyeballs felt like they were going to shatter. Oh and it was my birthday so there was that.
After a semi quiet Monday, it was back to it. Coco was in the hospital up until Friday so we had the older littles all week. So we would work and do our thing during the day but then meet them at home after school, do the homework, eat the snacks, make the dinners, fight about computer time and showers. Just the every day type of stuff. Then we would get them ready for bed, do balloon yoga, look up real estate listing for houses with a private bathroom for everyone that was within their school district (found and it was a million dollars) and then get their butts to bed. Part time parents we are. Good thing we like those littles.
Friday when Coco was finally released from the hospital prison, he and the other two came over for dinner, abc puzzles, and a sled walk. After that Coco went home while the two others slept over. Slightly burnt popcorn while they watched Bio dome and who the heck knows what else they did.. I was so exhausted I passed the F out.
Saturday was pancakes with the normal hoopla and then the littles went home. After that the mr and I did a few things, he worked, I cleaned. Right back to the grind.
I am hoping today will be a good day. We might get a little fresh snow and it%u2019s suppose to be hella warm out (mid 20%u2019s to 30 degrees!) and the roads are not treacherous so that means we can grab our snow shoes and head out into the woods. I need, like really really need some nature action. I didn%u2019t get enough last week. After that, well, I don%u2019t know. Maybe I will just build a snow fort in the woods and hide out for the rest of the week. So if you really need me, you might want to check the trees.
Interent to check out while I am away in my Snow Castle of Solitude (thats what I will name it)
–Sorry, SweetHearts Candy Hearts Won%u2019t Be Sold This Valentine%u2019s Day. Are you going to miss them?
-People are already complaining%u2026 It%u2019s way to early for that. Wait until mid March, that%u2019s when the fever really sets in. Yes, cabin fever is real%u2014here’s how to prevent it
–What’s Healthy At The Grocery Store? Shoppers Are Often Confused, Survey Finds. Ill tell you whats healthy, the stuff that is not in a box or can or has 1-2 ingredients like a bag or dried beans or whole wheat flour.
-Wool is an amazing fiber. 10 Things Nobody Tells You About the Benefits of Wool.
-Fresh spices are always the best but sometimes you find a little baggy stuck in the way way back of the spice drawer sooooo.. How Long Do Spices Actually Last? We Asked an%u00a0Expert.
–New ‘tent’ makes it possible to camp underwater. Always up for a new camping experience!
-Pack your bags for crazy town! 7 Things to Know Before Checking Into %u2018Lindsay Lohan%u2019s Beach Club%u2019
-The mr and I are back on finding a van or something to run away in. NOT YOUR AVERAGE AIRSTREAM. Any one of these will do.
–Can Americans learn to love ugly fruits and vegetables? I sure hope so. I never understood how people can think of produce as %u201cugly%u201d. The more fun the shape, the better. And a few dings and bruises in the food never hurt anybody.
–Can We Stop Calling Cake “Bread” & Bread%u00a0″Cake”? It%u2019s something about baking anything in a loaf pan. I call banana bread baked in a circular cake pan banana cake. It is what it is.
Pictures from the week. o
I am kind of sick right now. A chest cold thing and maybe e coli from all the romaine. Plus my arm hurts a shit ton from kind of dropping a 500 pound cast iron sink on it. Oh and I spilt boiling hot water on my leg and burn the shit out of myself, and I grabbed a falling cactus which got a hand full of prickers stuck into it. Plus I am still feeling all sorts of sad about Only. I guess you could say I am not at my finest right now. But this time nest week, I am sure I will be radiant and gleeful. HAHA. (But I sure do hope so.)
The past two weeks have been a blur. Only getting sick and then having to put him down took it all right out of me. Dealing with him being so sick and then the week after him being gone%u2026just so shitty. But there was good stuff too.. There was lots of snow that made me so so happy. Shannon had a pizza birthday party. The family did the annual pre -Thanksgiving Thanksgiving, which the mr and I only spent a short time at because we had to bring Only to the vets. There were dinners with the littles, more snow, cold weather, work stuff, broom shopping, heavy cast iron sink moving. There was stuff.
Then we did a little Thnaksgiving on actual Thanksgiving with Erin and the littles. We played board games (well, they did, I was cooking), made Christmas decorations, listened to Christmas music and danced a little. I made tofu lasagna, mac and cheese, potatoes, and bread. And of course there were veggies and fruit, but yea, starch bomb. But that is what the littles wanted. I am nothing but accommodating. Quite, low key, and everyone was happy. It was a just what I needed.
And then the day after Thanksgiving was Erins birthday so the littles came over again and we made her a cake and they slept over and we watched more Christmas movies and ate pancakes for breakfast all the while I was feeling like garbage. So after we brought them home, I kind of curled in on myself. I can%u2019t deal with being sick.
So today the mr and I are going to keep it a low key day, probably just putz around the house, maybe hang the Christmas lights outside, read a lot, drink lots and lots of hot tea (and coffee). I don%u2019t want to get any sicker then I am so I need to kick it. That%u2019s the goal for the day Get un-sick!
Some stuff from the internet that I looked at that you can look at too.
-I asked the mr if he could ever do a fake tree. He hesitated but said no. (the hesitation shocked me) I could never get a fake tree, or scratch that. I must always have the main tree be real. Having extra fake trees is ok. Hking in the woods to cut our tree down is probably one of my favorite things ever. Real all the way. Real And Fake Christmas Tree Sellers Fight For American Hearts And Minds.
–Reading Fiction Makes You a Little Nicer. With all the reading I do, should I be nicer. Ha
-We must ACT NOW! It isn%u2019t a freaking joke. Shit is already hitting the fan. Climate impacts grow, and U.S. must act, says new report
–Sweet Potatoes: It’s A Thin Line Between Love And Hate. Sweet potatoes are amazing. I can%u2019t understand how some people hate them. They just haven%u2019t had it roasted with cumin and chili powder or covered in tahini.
-Can Anyone Save PBR? The beer that conquered Brooklyn is on the brink of extinction. I know a lot of people who will be so sad if PBR goes away. (the mr for sure)
–Why Does It Seem Like Everyone Is Getting Sick from Salad? Another reason to eat as local as you can. (although more then half my food is local but I am still convinced I got E coli form the romaine%u2026 I need my own farm to grow ALL my own food!)
-Holiday crafting is the best. I am working on something like this.
–Breathing Through the Nose May Offer Unique Brain Benefits. To smell all the smells.
-I am really feeling these shoes%u2026but I will never buy them because I don%u2019t buy shoes. But someone needs to get a pair.
-Oh, The Places You’ll Go: Toilet Signs Try To Help
Pictures from the past two weeks. There are not a lot because I pretty much didn%u2019t take any pictures for a week.
I feel like we are stuck in Narnia with the White Witch. Always winter, always snow. It will be worth it though if I get to meet some talking beavers, but until then, I’ll start looking for the lion. This cold snow shit needs to end.%u00a0
The week has been pretty shity and very very stressful so we are going to leave that alone and I’ll just tell you about good things, like watching all of my house plants that I repotted grow like gangbusters. Or seeing the veggie seedings start to emerge from the dirt.%u00a0Half of them need to be repotted but the other half need to go directly into the ground. Glad I didn’t get to it this week because the snow and the snow and the ice, oh, and the stupid snow. We were with the Miley, Judah, and Emerson every day this week. We helped them clean and organize their bedrooms,which was stressful, but also fun. I almost accidentally %u00a0broke Mileys toes off, Judah showed us magic tricks,%u00a0%u00a0and Emerson taught %u00a0us all the alphabet. (And the mr got to play with so many dolls). There was time for So to stop over so I could fix her dress and eat carrots and make me laugh with all the funny faces. And we even had a few days of some what nice weather where I was able to open the windows in the house (that did not last long). Oh and the fridge, I was able to clean the shit out of the fridge. The week didn’t completely suck.
%u00a0I think that highlight of the week is that we found and %u00a0awesome new couch (and skill saw).%u00a0While we were looking for replacement faucets for the bathroom sink (because it is leaking bad)%u00a0we stumbled upon a very nice, not to big, not to small, vintage, excellent condition, very comfortable, couch. And it was on sale, like super cheap and pretty much exactly what we have been looking for.(there is a picture bellow) %u00a0Our current couch, the little yellow one that we use %u00a0in our spare room, is way to small and very uncomfortable and after today, it’s going bye bye. We pick up the new couch tomorrow. And when we do we will continue or search for a new faucet because we did not find what we were looking for. Until we do we %u00a0will be brushing and washing our hands in the bathtub.%u00a0
Today is going to be the first day in more then a week that the mr and I do not have some crazy crazy happening. So what are we going to do? Well I think we both need to turn off our phone, lock the doors, draw the curtains (we don’t have curtain) and hide from the world. Will that really happen, no, but it’s nice to think about. But I do think we will spend the afternoon relaxing a bit. I’ll paint, or read, the mr will probably work on screens or his fly file (it’s officially fishing season) and then we will go to bed early. Next week is a busy, but hopefully a good busy and not like shitty busy. Wish us luck.
What I looked at when I was looking at the internet
-I probably wouldn’t use it as a headboard but as a sweet ass wall piece… maybe someday I will get to it.%u00a0How to Make a Woven Headboard
-Now this is a sweet little cabin in the woods.%u00a0
–Fact or Fiction: Can You Really Sweat Out Toxins?
-I used to listen to music at the gym but after sweating all over and then ruining my 2 different iPods, I stopped. But I still hear music in my head.%u00a0%u00a0How Your Body Reacts When You Exercise With Music, According to Science
-How to Keep Your Social Life When You Love Going to Bed Early%u00a0Be friends with other people who go to bed early too.%u00a0
-I really want to go see this movie, and after reading this, I want to see it that much more.%u00a0And I really hate scary movie ( I also might be kind of in love with John Krasinski).%u00a0A Quiet Place%u2019 Turns Eating Into a Suspenseful Act
-Watch out, those non organic strawberries are probably toxic.%u00a0Strawberries again top 2018’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ fruits and veggies
–Drug Use Is Detectable on Your Fingerprints.Say what?
–New 360-Degree Immersive Drawing Created With 120 Marker Pens by Oscar Oiwa%u00a0Pretty freaking crazy
-Really, who eats these things?%u00a0People Have Started Panic-Buying Necco Wafers
Pictures from the week
Ah winter.%u00a0Warm and sunny one day, then bam, snow and wind and bitter bitter cold. Why you got to be so fickle winter?%u00a0
I shoveled quite a bit this week. We didn’t get as much snow as some, but.we got enough to keep me busy.. The world is now heavy with fluffy (although it’s pretty heavy now)%u00a0white.%u00a0With all the snow we were able to go for a nice long winter hike AND we went snow showing which was fantastic and beautiful and was a great little end of winter treat. Now my hope is that we were going to finish up winter with this last hurrah this week %u00a0(another storm is a’comin). One more week is fine, I can handle one more week of really cold and snow and ice %u00a0because it will all of a sudden be spring. Then we can finally put the boots away and I can uncover my bike that I prematurely brought out into the world and is now a bike icicle (a bicycle.. haha)%u00a0%u00a0I can make it one more week, I think I kind of have too.
Besides the snow the rest of the week stuff went mostly well. As always there was work, littles, and a grocery cart full of cabbage,%u00a0%u00a0although I did break my freaking camera. I first I thought I just smashed the lense but there is definitely something broken it the body. How it happened? I got the strap caught on a handle while I was taking pictures and it kind of tugged/yanked out of my hand and smashed into the wheel of the kitchen island. So son of a bitch I have to get a new camera. But hey we got new tooth brushes and we all know that new tooth brush day is always a fine day.
Friday night we went out on the town and hit up the opening night of Mileys play Mary Poppins. First off, Miley was awesome and did a fantastic job.%u00a0Secondly, holy crap was that torture. I totally and completely understand that the play was more for the kids, and like the mr said, we were there to watch the kids learn and have fun, but 3 hours of sitting in plastic chairs with grumpy littles and not being able to even hear a word the kids were sayings… It was rough and it kind of kicked my ass. Yes, an elementary school play kicked my ass. But jeez, 3 hours…I guess I am not one for the theater.%u00a0
It’s Sunday and I am feeling fine.%u00a0The house is clean, I washed my hair last night so I don’t have to do it today, and I have a good book to keep me reading throughout the day. I am contepletaing weather or not to play around in the kitchen and maybe start making some bagels?… If not today, this week for sure. I might just settle for a %u00a0good long walk, coffee, and reading all day long. That would make me pleased as punch. Hopefully your day will make you pleased as ouch too.%u00a0
Internet reading from the week.
–The Science of How Your Diet Affects Your Mental Health. Of course it does and in so many many ways.%u00a0
–I heard on tv or something that the Unicorn is Scotlands national animal. I didn’t believe it but it’s true.%u00a0Why is the Unicorn Scotland%u2019s national animal?
-Tennessee ‘Natural’ Burial Ground Will Offer A Simpler Farewell %u2014 Casket Optional. Talking about what’s good after death isn’t always fun, but you know, it’s gonna happen some day. This place sounds just about right although I %u00a0don’t want to be buried in Tennessee, I want my own VT natural burial ground.%u00a0
-This is my kind of tiny house.
-I am partial to the dumpsters. Haha. But really, kinda of into this.%u00a0In Britain%u2019s Playgrounds, %u2018Bringing in Risk%u2019 to Build Resilience
%u00a0-I watched Even Stevens when I was in middle school and had a little crush on Shia LaBeouf. This biopic should be interesting. to say the least..Shia LaBeouf%u2019s Hollywood Comeback Begins with a Movie About Shia Labeouf
–Miniature Faux Fur Landscapes
-Do you hate it our love it? I very much love it.%u00a0%u00a0We Know (Some) People Hate Cilantro, but Why?
-I played (and won) a shit ton of Jenga in college.%u00a0Meet Leslie Scott: The Woman Who Invented Jenga
–IKEA Made the “Fast Food of the Future” and It Includes Vegan Hotdogs%u00a0Crickets and carrots and green buns for the win.
Pictures from the week.%u00a0
It’s officially kinda official. WE MOVED IN!!!! And yeah sure, we might not have a kitchen or a 100% functional shower, but hey, who needs that when you got a real freakin bed to sleep in. (we are showering and preparing food at the loft) Going form sleeping on a futon on wooden slates in a crawl space to our real bed, with a real frame, all in a giant room with windows….. It’s hella crazy.
Other then the move in, the week has been pretty jammed packed. Still spending every minute plugging away at the house all while making sure all of our tenants are keeping warm with working heaters. (we have spent way to much time at the plumbing supply store this week) Barb, the mr and I ditched a day of work and school to travel to the north and hit up the land of Canadian Ikea. The mission was simple. Get a kitchen sink and maybe a cool rug or a shelving unit, and for barb and the mr, to eat as many hot dogs as they could. Success was had. We go the sink, I got a jar and a rug, towels were bought and an obscene amount of hot dogs were eaten (I think they each ate somewhere between3.5 and 5, plus a fro-yo. Me I was happy with my carrots) We we home before dark and spent the remainder of the day hanging up the Christmas lights. It was a grand day indeed.
As for the mr, well he went and turned himself one year older. And what did we do?%u00a0 We went and had a happy birthday party with family and friends at the newly unfinished house. It was all sorts of fantastic. We frantically ran around to pick up all the construction mess, tossed some plywood on the cabinet frames, ran all over to make paper lanterns for the light bulbs hanging from the ceiling and cleaned the toilet. I made huge vats of soup and kept the warm in slow cookers (I am now a new owner of a vintage 70’s crock pot so I guess I need to learn how to use it) and we borrowed an electric griddle, cut up some veggies and fruit and had a soup and grilled cheese party. (shout out to barb for helping me cut all the everything, oh and having the first official dance party with me) A classic homemade vanilla cake with some Duncan Hines frosting and ice cream topped off the night. I must also mention that even with a house full of people, including a bunch of littles, there was barely any food wasted. My brother even asked where he could find my compost bin to toss the orange peels. That might have been the highlight of the night.%u00a0 After the evening my ass was tired so off to bed we went.%u00a0 Then I woke up. Nothing beats waking up at 5am the day after a party to a plywood covered pile of soup crusted dirty dishes.%u00a0 2 hours later, a rag, some peppermint Dr. Bronners and the bathroom sink made things look good again.%u00a0And now the house is full of every chair we have ever owned, every piece of mismatched bowl, plate, cup,jar, and spoon we could find, and a freezer full of wheat bread and lots of carrot sticks.
Yup, things are moving along. Pretty soon I’ll be cooking up a storm in new kitchen and will be bring you all some food posts to boot.%u00a0 The appliances are set to arrive tomorrow and all we have left to do is build the cabinets, run a few water lines, pour a concrete counter………
Today the mr have to remove the 500 plates, cups, bowls and spoons out and the rest of the birthday cake out of the kitchen area and get back to work to makingt he real kitchen thing happen. But the coffee pot and all the coffee has found it’s permanent home. I’ll have coffee all day long. Whoa hoo!
Things I saw and read on the internet that you can now see and read too.
-Not really a “gingerbread house” but what ev, it pretty fantastical. How To Build An Indestructible Gingerbread House. Gummy bear epoxy seems so right.
-Speaking of gingerbread houses. Holiday gingerbread cookies have a dark and violent past
–Cute Animation Imagines How Day Turns into Night
-A hairy tail has be found.%u00a0 First Dinosaur Tail Found Preserved in Amber
-This is a good guide with lots of good recipes. The Search is Over: This Map Will Find Your Sugar Cookie Soulmate
–I want this.
-Now I know where I have seen you before. Scientists Think Your Face Evolved to Look Like an Ape%u2019s Butt
–Why Nutrition News Contradicts Itself All the Time. One day my diet is super healthy and the next, I am probably going to die cause of it. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. (nah, I think I am good)
–A Brighter Outlook Could Translate To A Longer Life. Doing it
-I get excited every year when this list comes out (I know, I a dork). NPR%u2019s Book Concierge Our Guide To 2016%u2019s Great Reads
Picture fun time.
I made him throw this sock away….. It was time.
Have a fantasticday.
I know it’s early an I know it’s Sunday, but other than that I am having a hard time concentrating on much of anything. All I can think about is paint color, well that and the kitchen stove. (I am getting closer to making that decision. I am secretly hoping Bluestar will just gift me one.) Oh, and how I want to hang some lights on the house because what is the point of having a house without hanging the holiday lights. So I guess I am thinking, just not very clearly.
How was your week? Good I hope. Ours was kind of quite. We spent most of our time at the house working and feeling sick. I might have convinced myself at the beginning of the week that I had listeria due to the fact that I ate a shit ton of some hummus that was recalled due to contamination. But I am alive so I think I am ok. We did get to see lots of family, spend a little time in some woods, and even got to take a afternoon nap .(mostly because I was sick) And it snowed!!!! There is no more snow now, but there was and it was so white and fluffy and great. I am looking forward to having an actual winter this year with some actual snow.
The mr and I are working our butts off, trying to maybe move in soon, like as soon as possible. Yesterday at the house, the mr was downstairs patching up the pantry walls and I was upstairs, painting. The plan was to touch up all the paint and to paint the closet doors. Sounds simple right? Well it wasn’t. Long story short, I spent the entire day painting, hating, remixing, then repainting the closet doors in the bedroom. I didn’t get to anything else. I almost tore my eyes out of my head. I seriously repainted those freaking doors5 times, each time thinking that I likes the color. Then an hour later, after painting front ans back of both doors (they are louved so they take longer) then I would hate the color and start all over again. I was going a little crazy. I blame it on the fumes.
Today I am going to bring over a scented candle (to mask he smell of urethane), put on some Christmas tunes, touch up all the paint in the bedrooms and bathroom upstairs and paint those stupid closet doors one last time, color be damned.%u00a0%u00a0 We are getting there. It’s going to be great
There might even be some time to bust out the Xmas lights!
Internet for the looking.
-My hometown. America%u2019s First All-Renewable-Energy City
–Your Brain Can Barely Handle Conversation and Eye Contact at the Same Time.
–Cool Ass Lamps. The peacock is the best.
-My siblings.. Best friends, worst enemies. Love them all to pieces even when I want to punch them in the face. Give Thanks For Siblings: They Can Make Us Healthier And Happier
-I could spend forever in one of these (Cornell is my favorite). THE 15 MOST BEAUTIFUL COLLEGE LIBRARIES IN AMERICA
-Maybe someday I will sit around and make bird houses, but they have to be this cool. These Modernist Houses Are Literally For the Birds
-Can’t wait to go crazy and cover my life with all the green, it makes me happy. Green and Peaceful
-So I for sure talk to myself, sometimes just saying lists out loud, but sometimes….The mr always thinks I am talking to him. I have to tell him to stop budding in on my conversation. The Running Conversation in Your Head
-The mr always get me purple carrots in my stocking and my birthday. WTF ARE PURPLE CARROTS AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?
And photos from the week.