Today is the day, the moment of truth. The concrete counter tops that we poured a few days ago are getting un-molded, flipped, and set into place. I am so super excited and very much scared. Finally we will have a counter and we will be that much closer to a finished kitchen. But what if? What if something happens between removing the mold and placing the counter, like what if it doesn’t fit right or maybe it breaks? I shouldn’t be even thinking about that. It will be great and awesome and the best freaking counter ever. (and Ikea is only a few hours away and sell emergency counter tops)
The house. Oh have we got ourselves a little gem. All week we have been staying here, doing all our living here (minus showers, we take those at the loft) and still managing to get a bit of work done here. Working in the place you live is such a bitch. Plus it’s the holidays which makes everything not covered in tinsel and lights seem unimportant, but we are getting there. A few more weeks and I tell you, we will most likely have ourselves a pretty nearly done 98% livable house.
Even though the house might not be perfect, we still had a the littles over for a school night sleep over where we finished decorating the tree, watched the Santa Clause, made claims on table settings and ate black beans for breakfast. That was a tough morning with -20 cold and no desire to leave the house. We might have been a few minutes late for school, but hey, I never drive in the mornings and didn’t realize 20 minutes wasn’t enough time to compete with the crazy ass traffic. And they might not have been late, so yeah. (I didn’t ask) What else….Well have been on the hunt for doors and glass for doors and all the odds and ends that we need. Every day it seems we end up at the hardware store, the junk store, or the salvage yard looking of that one thing that may or may not exist. It is driving me nuts. The mr, he is really good at the back and forth. Me, not so much. I really wish there was a store made for just me that sold (or gave me for free) everything that I could possible need. Doors, carrots, socks. That would be great. Oh and my crock pot. It has turned into the center of our living because it’s not our main source of hot food. It has been entirely new territory for me (never used a crock pot before last week) and there were a few soups that might not have so great, but I think I have got the hang of it and we have been eating hot food from the crock like champs. I’ll have to share some of my soups and tips with you guys soon. (once the kitchen is done there will be sooooo many new recipes and food fun coming your way!)
So besides the counter tops today, I think I have some serious cleaning to do. The loft is a mess, the house is getting a little on the dusty side, and the pile of dirty clothes has gotten out of hand. I might drag the hamper to the loft, be domestic for the afternoon and do some chores. A little Christmas music, lots of coffee, and amazon prime last minute gift shopping. It should be an interesting afternoon to say the least.
Links brought to you by the internet.
-I want this, it would bring me so much joy. This Infinity Galaxy Puzzle Has No Beginning or End
–5 of Humanity’s Best Ideas of What Dreams Actually Are
-Lapland is on my travel bucket list. 10+ Reasons Why Lapland Is The Most Magical Place To Celebrate Christmas
–Meet The Spleen, The Strange Little Organ That Can Multiply
-Gift idea for your stinky loved ones. Shreddies flatulence filtering garments
-The mr and I are starting to plan our next cross country trip. National Parks all the way (free days are great but if you are planning on going to a lot of parks, get the pass) WHEN TO VISIT ANY US NATIONAL PARK FOR FREE IN 2017
-An Eleven-Story-Tall Tree Hugger Sprouts on the Side of a Building in Chile. Imagine painting that…..
-Food is always a good present.10 Last-Minute Recipes to Make for Homemade Food Gifts
The week in pictures.
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Yes that is a giant tree monster about to eat a Christmas tree. So good.
Have a great day!
Big. Ass. Yawn. Because we need it, or at least I do.
The week started off with nice, calm sister time, the lake, and happy little littles. Then shit got crazy. From dealing with appliances (still haven’t settled on a stove yet) to having to wear a stupid respirator all day everyday because I cannot deal with the off gases that come from polyurethane and now have dry skin blotches on my face, to running around painting prepping, sanding stairs… We are just plan pooped out. Now we just need to plow through the house to get it done and moved in. It’s getting so close I can almost imagine it. And then we can get a little bit of our life back. That will be great. We did manage to attend the two weeks early double birthday party for So and Justin because get this, it’s really sad, they are going to be in Disney Land for their actual birthdays, and so we party now for them. What kinda bummed me out was that I didn’t get to make the birthday cake.(I always make So’s birthday cakes..the best birthday cakes) My sister being so nice, didn’t want to ask to make it me because we are so busy so she ended up buying a cake from costco. It was crazy and huge and no one could eat a whole slice. All I had to say was maybe next year don’t go to Disney Land and I will make the cake.
And now it’s the week of Thanksgiving. Are you guys ready for the holidays? I wish I could say that I was but I am not, really really not. Plus it’s looking more and more like we have no idea what we are doing. Food? There isn’t much in the house. (I am running dangerously low on dried beans and I already ate through most of my farm share and there isn’t another pick up for a week and a half) I have not a single thing planned or pre-made, and we are not even sure where we are going yet. But hey, we got a couple days to figure it out right? As for food, well I just have to suck it up and do that major grocery shop that needs being done and get to some of the good stuff before all of it is picked through by the early prepared holiday shoppers. I will buy lots of beans and all the carrots.
As for today, well we gots a few weather sensitive things to do, like picking up all the piles of wood out in front of the house so it doesn’t look like a dump and piling scrap metal into the work car before it get covered in snow .( I am so excited about snow!!) Also need to give the cat a stern talking to about hanging out in the road because apparently after 11 years of being an outdoor cat, he now decided that is where all the cool cats hang. And my favorite thing on my to do list today is….dig all the slivers out of my hands. Oh so much fun. At least I will be drinking all the coffee that I could possibly want and eating beans and carrots. Maybe I will bake a pie too. (hahaha, but maybe)
Some of what the Internet has had this week.
-Duh. An Overlooked Weapon Against the Flu Is Also the Most Effective One
–Cool shadow art.
-I freeze my veggies in the summer and fall (my freezer is stuffed with tomatoes and peppers) anduse them all winter long. Are Frozen Fruits and Vegetables as Nutritious as Fresh?
–Grapefruit and Salt. Yum.
-I have been feeling this so bad. To Relieve Post-Election Stress, Bake And Bake Again
–The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Cure
-I guess they are all sold out, but maybe will get more in stock later. I wanted to get the mr the country clubber set. So f-ing awesome.
-I really love this, like a lot. A Collaborative Duo Pokes Fun at Plein Air Painting Through Photographic Series
-Not gonna lie, the super chipper all the time people, well they tire me out. If You’re Annoyed by Overly Cheerful People, You’ll Like This Study
Pictures from the weeks happenings.
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Number one take away from the past weeks events… I can be anything I want to be, including the queen of the leprechauns or a unicorn that farts rainbows….Anything is possible. Hahaha.
But wow, that was some kind of week for all of us. Now we deal and do our part and hope for the best. Eyes open, minds, open, hearts open.
Besides the constant flow of NPR and up and down temperatures., the week has been somewhat a blur. Painting, cleaning, sanding, repeat. The trim and walls will never have so much love and care for the rest of their lives. And the painting. Remember when I painted the upstairs and decided that I hates the color and had to repaint the it? Well it happened again, only this time is was the downstairs. And funny, after realizing the white was to white and we needed to tone it down just a pinch, we ended up using he paint that we hated upstairs on the downstairs and it looks like a-mazing! Speaking of amazing, you should see the floors! The mr and I busted ass and finally got the floors, upstairs and down, sanded! .And ok, I did sand, but nothing like the mr. He used all the big crazy machines while I used my little hand sander and muscle force. (this guy I tell you, he can is a pro at everything.) So now we have the house almost perfect and we are going crazy and just need to finish it!
On of the last things to do on the list is the kitchen and the pressure is on. I am kinda freaking out over design, function, and stoves. Appliances are all like 50% off for the next 2 weeks and that means it is time to buy. The mr doesn’t really give two hoots so I have this crazy pressureto pick and choose and then spend money (credit card money) I am straight up freaking. But these are happy lady problems. I can deal with them
I cannot go into the house today. I will go there, I will look inside, but the floors are in the sealing process and the mr is the processor so I will not step inside (plus the smell of the urethane makes me sick) So today, it’s almost like a fee day! Think we might take a trip to a book store, get some coffee, look at all the cook books, and discuss the pros and cons of stoves. Oh, and stop by Shannon’s house cause she is my sister and it’s her birthday…. Happy Birthday lady!
And I just realized that it’s Thanksgiving next week.. I think I need to get on that.
Non political internet from my week.
-Lets not be assholes. 6 Ways Being Nice To Others Is Actually Good For You
–Absolutely Gorgeous Photos Reveal The Beauty In A Hard Life
-Been looking at these ovens. The slide in is great but why is it so much more expensive?
-I think I would be happy as a narwhal. Narwhals Are Craftier Than We Gave Them Credit For.
–This is your brain on nature
-A thing that is for real. Cat Yoga
-I missed it (don’t have the channel) but hopping to internet watch it soon: “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party”
-Make sure all your plastic get in the recycling. Why Seabirds Love To Gobble Plastic Floating In The Ocean
-Why we get Earworm Songs Happens to me all day long
–Artist Charles Young’s Growing Metropolis of 635 Paper Structures. Just really cool.
A few pictures from the week.
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One extra hour today! Did you or are you currently sleeping it? I woke up at 4 am which was 5am yesterday so I am hoping that I am going to get in a little nap at some point. That’s what is there for right? I love the end of daylight savings, I mean, who doesn’t love an extra hour. And also I actually really enjoy that it gets dark out early. Being the old lady that I am, I don’t leave the house after 7 but I love the night sky.. Now that it’s darker out earlier, I can drink it all up and still be in bed at a reasonable old lady hour. Whoa hoo!
So I am starting to think about holiday stuff, specifically the holiday stuff that could potentially happen in the new house. Then I start to think about all the stuff that needs to be done in the house before any holiday stuff can happen and then my eyes start to bug out and my brain does a wiggle and I forget the holiday stuff and start to freak out a bit. Then the mr is all “one thing at at time” and “we got this” and I am all like “ok, if you say so” and I calm down. Then I start to think about how soon the holidays are and the whole thing starts over again. So basically I am driving myself crazy.
It’s been a long week, but some of highlights are
- Got our first winter farm share and have been eating so much celeriac and squash and parsnips
- The upstairs bathroom is all hooked up, like sink, toilet, and tub, and is looking like magic.
- The window trim is going up and all the old trims we saved has been sanded and stained and scrubbed all week long.
- The back porch is all painted and done
- A very large, rounded couch was brought home by the mr. (I can’t decide if I hate it or love it)
- I spent a good part of a day in the yard hacking away at the humongous thristle trees (they looked like trees) with a hand saw.
There has been other stuff, but right now I can’t think of it. We kinda missed Halloween. We worked all day then decided that the front porch looked to sketchy and dangerous for little kids so didn’t give out candy which really bummed out the mr cause he didn’t get any Halloween candy this year. Last night I was vacuuming the floor and found a grape. picked it up, gave it a little dust off and ate it. Is that weird? And I cut my hair. Just a few inches over the bathroom sink while the mr was brushing his teeth. Oh man, I think I might be losing it a bit. What I really need to do is spend some time in the kitchen . I realized that I have been so wrapped up in craziness that I haven’t gotten any l really kitchen time in a while. This week I am back to making more time for the kitchen and my camera and trying not to be so crazy. I’ll make you a salad, maybe some cookies. And soup. We have been eating a shit ton of soup.
Sunday YEA!!! Little sister Barb is coming over today and doing some helping. I was thinking we would paint, maybe even clean, but I have a feeling her help might just be to hang out, listen to the radio and dance party to every crappy song that comes on. harass the mr, and just make me happy. Maybe we will get to some actual work, but I won’t be caring if we don’t. But I need to clean at some point for sure cause he house is a mess right now and it’s driving me freaking nuts. Maybe that’s what I can do with my extra hour.
Stuff from the world online.
-Need to stay awake for this one. YES! Dave Chappelle is *finally* hosting ‘SNL’ in case you were wondering if dreams come true
–A fantastic house.
-This is good because I don’t like to clean my coffee cups. It’s Okay to Never Wash Your Coffee Mug
–Girl Scout cookie cereal. Really? Yup, really.
-So many different kinds. The Ultimate Ice Cream Glossary, A to Z
-I never had a cool lunch box (be sad for me) Beyond The Pail: NPR Unpacks The History Of The Lunch Box
-What the FU*K. Hitting the Elevator Door-Close Button Won’t Make the Elevator Doors Close
–How Is A 1,600-Year-Old Tree Weathering California’s Drought?
-I needed to know, and now I do. How to Tell a Raven From a Crow
And speaking of birds.Shattered birds in windows
–Swearing Is Much Less Common Than It Seems…not in my family (or maybe it’s just me)
–All the pretty plants
and a few pics
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Yawn, stretch, throw on some pants and back to it.
But it’s taking a whole lot of will power to get up and go. It’s just too perfect out to do much of anything. Is it weird that I love this cold and rainy weather? These are the days that I can spend all day in a ball of blankets on the couch next to a window looking out with hot beverages and good books.. I will get there soon, but not today. We started tiling the bathroom wall yesterday and need to finish it, along with he rest of the house.
This week flew by fast. It included a very quick foliage drive(stopped by a river so the mr could fly fish), Barbara turning 17 while watching her field hockey game, a tiny little baby that fell in love with me and wants me to be it’s new mommy, and the scraping and painting of so much everything. I think the highlight was when the 17 year old Barb stopped by the house to bring us coffee, hung out with us, and lent me her sweater that I love but probably won’t ever get a chance to wear cause all I wear are grubby, paint stained clothes. But none the less, it was great and maybe I’ll just wear the sweater to bed. And the colors. Every time I walk out of the house and see all the trees, all the colors…it just blows my mind. So good.
Other then that, not much else. I am giving myself a political detox for a few days before i barf, eating lots of roasted celeriac and missing my kitchen. I can’t freaking wait to spend all day cooking in baking in my kitchen. I can’t freakin wait!
And now I got to find those pants.
Internet for the looking.
–Everyone Should Make Time for Daydreaming. I do me a lot of it.
-The Difference Between Pepitas and the Seeds from Your Halloween Pumpkin
–6 Things You Need To Know About Cycling On The Sidewalk. I sometimes bike the sidewalk, but only when I have to and very slowly.
– Maybe this is the reason I hate wearing shoes. ABSORB EARTH’S FREE FLOWING ELECTRONS THROUGH THE SOLES OF YOUR FEET(EARTHING)
-Read this book this week. One of my new favorite books. It changed the way I look at the world, especially trees.
-Forget Tomayto/Tomahto: The Real Debate Is, Should It Be Refrigerated? II never do unless it’s 100% necessary
-feel like this is a close representation of my knitting basket. A Mass of Tangled Red Yarn Unravels from a Loom to Overtake a Brazilian Chapel
-What Tree Is that has been a frequent question. Trees With Leaves – A Deciduous Tree Leaf Key
-Speaking of trees, I would live in this tree house.The tree alone is pretty amazing.
– A little preemptive in looking, but I told myself I that I get to buy knew sheets and duvet cover when we move into the house (I am a linens slut) This bed set is looking good, although can’t go wrong with these either.
And pictures.
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New baby, lots and lots of littles, and laying the flooring. Never a dull moment over here.
Erin finally popped and pushed out a humongous adorable little human (Emersion Reed Scott… I call him murder) so while she has been doing that and hanging out in the hospital, her littles have been my littles. Needless to say, my house got trashed, my fridge is empty, and all the printer paper is gone. We ate all the beans and apples in the house. Spent after schooldays drawing and making weird shaped out of scrap wood and nails while the mr and I worked. Not to take away from my sister pushing out a gigantic human from her body, but hell, my body/mind are fried. Taking the littles is easy (feed them, let them loose on Nick, homework, watch Malcom in the middle, brush teeth, bed) but laying floor is hard. Lots and lots of tiny pieces of floor that need to be hammered and bent and fanagled. So many nails, nailing for hours and having all the pressure of not nailing into the radiant heat tubing. My body has contoured into a semi permanent bent shape and red tubes are floating over my closed eyelids. The mr on his hands and knees for hours with so many slivers… It’s fucking painful. But we love it (the floor) and the bit of pain is worth it. As for the littles, the are so awesome. They can stay with us forever. Oh yeah, and my Dad has made his way back tot he state where he left all of his children for a visit so we have been doing all that family stuff too. If only I could figure out how to get paid for being with my family.(we could do a reality tv show but I don’t think America could handle that)
I am cooking food, I just haven’t had a lot of time to like clean dishes, make things pretty, and catch good enough light to take pictures but I am hoping to get a little time to make an epic cake this coming week. I want to bake plus I want to start a project and see it finished within a few hours. I miss posting recipes and and I think everyone around me needs some cake. So look for that (thinking some kind of pumpkin chocolate situation)
And as for today, the littles are back home with their mother so the mr and I are going to floor some more until our bodies give out then drive into the mountains for a well earned visual spectacular of color. And coffee. So much coffee.
Just for a laugh… Judah says to us the first time we went up to the hospital to see his mom and new baby bro .”holy haha. Look guys look. He is eating moms nipples.” He couldn’t stop laughing. That kid, oh boy is he awesome. He also said that the baby makes sounds like a big fart. I agree.
Internet stuff I found during my late night browsing sessions.
-Dude, I might just have to move to Japan. Japan Wants to Reward You for Safe Driving—with Coffee
–HOW VANILLA BECAME THE WORLD’S FAVORITE FLAVOR..is it yours?
-Into all of these hammocks. 5 Hammock Hybrids for Extreme Relaxation
-To the insurance company that doesn’t want to renew our house insurance policy because of our garden looks like we lack “pride of ownership” (for real what they said) Eight Reasons NOT to Clean Up in the Garden
-Ah, love this house.
–Do You Wish Time Would Slow Down? Yes, yes I do
-We are keeping the downstairs all white and light and bright. Inspirations
– “Extreme bees, extreme people.” Six Scientists, 1,000 Miles, One Prize: The Arctic Bumblebee
-This is fantastic. To bad I didn’t know this hack in art school. Ingenious Hack for Sketching with Two Point Perspective Using an Elastic String
-I have blown up a few carrots in the microwave in my day. Snap, Crackle, Kale: The Science Of Why Veggies Spark In The Microwave
And a few pics.
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Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
-C
That’s right, it’s October. Another month, another season. Jeeze time, slow the f down!
The week was another jammed packed crazy fest. We picked up 800sqft of flooring(that sucked moving) and bought more paint (pure freaking white). We finished laying all the tubing for the radiant floor heating, the radiators are painted, in place, and plumbed. The plumbers are coming tomorrow to give us a new boilers o we can use all these new heating devices. There were two birthday parties,(happy birthday Miley Lu and Alex) a day at the pumpkin patch and drawing flowers, and the constant running back a forth between hardware stores. I had the birthday boy over for breakfast and asked him what he wanted me to make him. Anything, and he chose eggs bacon and toast. I made the eggs and toast but was not willing to cook the bacon. Bad aunt maybe, but I wasn’t about to stink up my house with that. Just no. So I gave him chocolate chips and sprinkles instead. He was happy. Oh and my little (by giant) brother came home for the first time for the weekend from the military college dressed in military garb and looking all beefy and smart. Crazy what a month away from home will do to a person. I think he is much cooler now.(but don’t tell him that)
Maybe one of the best parts of the week…..Found my vintage yellow fridge! Oh how I love the craigslist. The mr and I went and picked it up yesterday. Had to load the heavy as hell fridge on top of the Volvo and drive 20 miles. It was terrifying . I thought the fridge was going to go barreling off onto the hood of the car or tip over and roll away. But we made it and now we are proud owners of a vintage yellow frigidaire fridge. It’s all sorts of fantastic.
So yeah, I am really tired today and feeling a little lousy this morning. I think I need to take it easy today, I can feel this turning into full on sick if I don’t catch it now. The mr and I need to clean up at the house and get ready for the plumbers, but other then that. Me and the couch are going to be friends today. Coffee, book, sleep. Sounds like a plan.
My internet finds from the week.
-Something I think about way too much. Now — And The Physics Of Time
–HOW A PERUVIAN FARMER IS GROWING 180 KINDS OF POTATOES
–The FDA Is Finally Going to Update the Term ‘Healthy...Finally
-WE should all know this because we should The top 7 ways a trip to Mars could kill you, illustrated
–The Sweet Emotional Life of Bees.This is true of most people too.
-I reek of garlic All. The. Time. Finally, Here’s Some Good News About Garlic Breath
-Ever wonder about take out containers? Chinese Food Delivery Containers, Explained
–Our Robot Overlords Are Now Delivering Pizza, And Cooking It On The Go. Or just make your own at home, but this is still kinda cool.
-The 11 Varieties of Winter Squash You Need to Know Cause its squash season
-The night comes sooner now so I can get outside to see the stars before my bedtime. A Meteor Shower and 8 More Can’t-Miss Sky Events in October
And the weeks pictures.
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It is super chilly and dark out and the smell of jelly donuts is wafting in from open windows (it’s coming from the donut factory down the street) and I am thinking about grabbing the wool blanket from the packed away winter stuff and crawling back into bed, just for a little while longer until the coffee is done brewing. (4am wake up this morning and I am feeling like a nap is in order soon, even if it is 6am) This is the stuff of the best fall morning. Now if this could be my all day.#lifegosls
The week was a week, but a good week at that. Started getting squash with the farm share which lead to a discussion between me and the mr about what our absolute #1 food we could live off of forever (him, pizza.Me, super roasted kombucha squash covered in nut butter) I made a sheet birthday cake that also contained about an entire package of oreo cookies for a newly 15 year old Jackson that is making me feel old. There was a dinner here and a dinner there and just a lot of people and family. We haven’t spent much time at home or by ourselves this week so I am definitely ready for a quite day all to my lonesome. My brain is on overload.
We ordered the downstairs flooring!!! Come this Wednesday, the mr and I will be unloading 40 or so bundles of some pretty white “utility grade” oak. We also found some floor tile for the bathroom for dirt cheap at the resourse store( tiny white squares.. nothing fancy but looks sharp) Flooring is for real you guys. Once we lay this stuff it’s over. We are good and yeah. (until 2 hours later when we realize we have a million other things to accomplish) But all is good. We have flooring.
So today is going to be a fun one. The mr, my brother and I are going to attempt to move the 10 million pound radiators from the back yard to the upstairs….. Going to be oh so much fun (no, not it is no) Once we move them, I am going to finish painting them and the mr will install them. Whoa hoo! Plumbers are coming soon to hook up the new boiler so we have to get all this shit ready. WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK!
How about you? Got any fun activities planned for this here fantastic fall weekend? Find something enjoyable, preferably outside, and try to stay away from reading all about the politics. We all need a break from that.
Internet stuff that kept me interested.
– Do yourself a favor and go outside. This Is Your Brain on Nature
– Almost finished this book and about to start this one.
– I like honey crisps all right, but I am a mac girl for always. (and they are usually one of the cheaper varieties) Why Are Honeycrisps So Much More Expensive Than Other Apples?
-Breadfruit came from testicles and other weird myths. THE WORLD’S BEST FOOD-BASED CREATION MYTHS
-How can trees not have secret lives. A Web Of Trees And Their ‘Hidden’ Lives
– And this. Today in Terrifying Bird News, Pigeons Know How to Read
-This would be my bliss (with an added coffee bar) Secluded Library In The Woods
-I got my information from Meryl Strep in The Devil Wears Prada (love the movie) How Trends Trickle Down. The circuitous path of ideas in food and fashion.
-Breaking Taboo, Swedish Scientist Seeks To Edit DNA Of Healthy Human Embryos. I am officially scared.
-I think this might be my next knitting project. Purl Soho Pullover
Some pics from the past week.
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THE LOVELY CRAZY
March 19, 2017 by maximios • Blog
Today is the day, the moment of truth. The concrete counter tops that we poured a few days ago are getting un-molded, flipped, and set into place. I am so super excited and very much scared. Finally we will have a counter and we will be that much closer to a finished kitchen. But what if? What if something happens between removing the mold and placing the counter, like what if it doesn’t fit right or maybe it breaks? I shouldn’t be even thinking about that. It will be great and awesome and the best freaking counter ever. (and Ikea is only a few hours away and sell emergency counter tops)
The house. Oh have we got ourselves a little gem. All week we have been staying here, doing all our living here (minus showers, we take those at the loft) and still managing to get a bit of work done here. Working in the place you live is such a bitch. Plus it’s the holidays which makes everything not covered in tinsel and lights seem unimportant, but we are getting there. A few more weeks and I tell you, we will most likely have ourselves a pretty nearly done 98% livable house.
Even though the house might not be perfect, we still had a the littles over for a school night sleep over where we finished decorating the tree, watched the Santa Clause, made claims on table settings and ate black beans for breakfast. That was a tough morning with -20 cold and no desire to leave the house. We might have been a few minutes late for school, but hey, I never drive in the mornings and didn’t realize 20 minutes wasn’t enough time to compete with the crazy ass traffic. And they might not have been late, so yeah. (I didn’t ask) What else….Well have been on the hunt for doors and glass for doors and all the odds and ends that we need. Every day it seems we end up at the hardware store, the junk store, or the salvage yard looking of that one thing that may or may not exist. It is driving me nuts. The mr, he is really good at the back and forth. Me, not so much. I really wish there was a store made for just me that sold (or gave me for free) everything that I could possible need. Doors, carrots, socks. That would be great. Oh and my crock pot. It has turned into the center of our living because it’s not our main source of hot food. It has been entirely new territory for me (never used a crock pot before last week) and there were a few soups that might not have so great, but I think I have got the hang of it and we have been eating hot food from the crock like champs. I’ll have to share some of my soups and tips with you guys soon. (once the kitchen is done there will be sooooo many new recipes and food fun coming your way!)
So besides the counter tops today, I think I have some serious cleaning to do. The loft is a mess, the house is getting a little on the dusty side, and the pile of dirty clothes has gotten out of hand. I might drag the hamper to the loft, be domestic for the afternoon and do some chores. A little Christmas music, lots of coffee, and amazon prime last minute gift shopping. It should be an interesting afternoon to say the least.
Links brought to you by the internet.
-I want this, it would bring me so much joy. This Infinity Galaxy Puzzle Has No Beginning or End
–5 of Humanity’s Best Ideas of What Dreams Actually Are
-Lapland is on my travel bucket list. 10+ Reasons Why Lapland Is The Most Magical Place To Celebrate Christmas
–Meet The Spleen, The Strange Little Organ That Can Multiply
-Gift idea for your stinky loved ones. Shreddies flatulence filtering garments
-The mr and I are starting to plan our next cross country trip. National Parks all the way (free days are great but if you are planning on going to a lot of parks, get the pass) WHEN TO VISIT ANY US NATIONAL PARK FOR FREE IN 2017
-An Eleven-Story-Tall Tree Hugger Sprouts on the Side of a Building in Chile. Imagine painting that…..
-Food is always a good present.10 Last-Minute Recipes to Make for Homemade Food Gifts
The week in pictures.
Yes that is a giant tree monster about to eat a Christmas tree. So good.
Have a great day!
Big. Ass. Yawn. Because we need it, or at least I do.
The week started off with nice, calm sister time, the lake, and happy little littles. Then shit got crazy. From dealing with appliances (still haven’t settled on a stove yet) to having to wear a stupid respirator all day everyday because I cannot deal with the off gases that come from polyurethane and now have dry skin blotches on my face, to running around painting prepping, sanding stairs… We are just plan pooped out. Now we just need to plow through the house to get it done and moved in. It’s getting so close I can almost imagine it. And then we can get a little bit of our life back. That will be great. We did manage to attend the two weeks early double birthday party for So and Justin because get this, it’s really sad, they are going to be in Disney Land for their actual birthdays, and so we party now for them. What kinda bummed me out was that I didn’t get to make the birthday cake.(I always make So’s birthday cakes..the best birthday cakes) My sister being so nice, didn’t want to ask to make it me because we are so busy so she ended up buying a cake from costco. It was crazy and huge and no one could eat a whole slice. All I had to say was maybe next year don’t go to Disney Land and I will make the cake.
And now it’s the week of Thanksgiving. Are you guys ready for the holidays? I wish I could say that I was but I am not, really really not. Plus it’s looking more and more like we have no idea what we are doing. Food? There isn’t much in the house. (I am running dangerously low on dried beans and I already ate through most of my farm share and there isn’t another pick up for a week and a half) I have not a single thing planned or pre-made, and we are not even sure where we are going yet. But hey, we got a couple days to figure it out right? As for food, well I just have to suck it up and do that major grocery shop that needs being done and get to some of the good stuff before all of it is picked through by the early prepared holiday shoppers. I will buy lots of beans and all the carrots.
As for today, well we gots a few weather sensitive things to do, like picking up all the piles of wood out in front of the house so it doesn’t look like a dump and piling scrap metal into the work car before it get covered in snow .( I am so excited about snow!!) Also need to give the cat a stern talking to about hanging out in the road because apparently after 11 years of being an outdoor cat, he now decided that is where all the cool cats hang. And my favorite thing on my to do list today is….dig all the slivers out of my hands. Oh so much fun. At least I will be drinking all the coffee that I could possibly want and eating beans and carrots. Maybe I will bake a pie too. (hahaha, but maybe)
Some of what the Internet has had this week.
-Duh. An Overlooked Weapon Against the Flu Is Also the Most Effective One
–Cool shadow art.
-I freeze my veggies in the summer and fall (my freezer is stuffed with tomatoes and peppers) anduse them all winter long. Are Frozen Fruits and Vegetables as Nutritious as Fresh?
–Grapefruit and Salt. Yum.
-I have been feeling this so bad. To Relieve Post-Election Stress, Bake And Bake Again
–The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Cure
-I guess they are all sold out, but maybe will get more in stock later. I wanted to get the mr the country clubber set. So f-ing awesome.
-I really love this, like a lot. A Collaborative Duo Pokes Fun at Plein Air Painting Through Photographic Series
-Not gonna lie, the super chipper all the time people, well they tire me out. If You’re Annoyed by Overly Cheerful People, You’ll Like This Study
Pictures from the weeks happenings.
Number one take away from the past weeks events… I can be anything I want to be, including the queen of the leprechauns or a unicorn that farts rainbows….Anything is possible. Hahaha.
But wow, that was some kind of week for all of us. Now we deal and do our part and hope for the best. Eyes open, minds, open, hearts open.
Besides the constant flow of NPR and up and down temperatures., the week has been somewhat a blur. Painting, cleaning, sanding, repeat. The trim and walls will never have so much love and care for the rest of their lives. And the painting. Remember when I painted the upstairs and decided that I hates the color and had to repaint the it? Well it happened again, only this time is was the downstairs. And funny, after realizing the white was to white and we needed to tone it down just a pinch, we ended up using he paint that we hated upstairs on the downstairs and it looks like a-mazing! Speaking of amazing, you should see the floors! The mr and I busted ass and finally got the floors, upstairs and down, sanded! .And ok, I did sand, but nothing like the mr. He used all the big crazy machines while I used my little hand sander and muscle force. (this guy I tell you, he can is a pro at everything.) So now we have the house almost perfect and we are going crazy and just need to finish it!
On of the last things to do on the list is the kitchen and the pressure is on. I am kinda freaking out over design, function, and stoves. Appliances are all like 50% off for the next 2 weeks and that means it is time to buy. The mr doesn’t really give two hoots so I have this crazy pressureto pick and choose and then spend money (credit card money) I am straight up freaking. But these are happy lady problems. I can deal with them
I cannot go into the house today. I will go there, I will look inside, but the floors are in the sealing process and the mr is the processor so I will not step inside (plus the smell of the urethane makes me sick) So today, it’s almost like a fee day! Think we might take a trip to a book store, get some coffee, look at all the cook books, and discuss the pros and cons of stoves. Oh, and stop by Shannon’s house cause she is my sister and it’s her birthday…. Happy Birthday lady!
And I just realized that it’s Thanksgiving next week.. I think I need to get on that.
Non political internet from my week.
-Lets not be assholes. 6 Ways Being Nice To Others Is Actually Good For You
–Absolutely Gorgeous Photos Reveal The Beauty In A Hard Life
-Been looking at these ovens. The slide in is great but why is it so much more expensive?
-I think I would be happy as a narwhal. Narwhals Are Craftier Than We Gave Them Credit For.
–This is your brain on nature
-A thing that is for real. Cat Yoga
-I missed it (don’t have the channel) but hopping to internet watch it soon: “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party”
-Make sure all your plastic get in the recycling. Why Seabirds Love To Gobble Plastic Floating In The Ocean
-Why we get Earworm Songs Happens to me all day long
–Artist Charles Young’s Growing Metropolis of 635 Paper Structures. Just really cool.
A few pictures from the week.
One extra hour today! Did you or are you currently sleeping it? I woke up at 4 am which was 5am yesterday so I am hoping that I am going to get in a little nap at some point. That’s what is there for right? I love the end of daylight savings, I mean, who doesn’t love an extra hour. And also I actually really enjoy that it gets dark out early. Being the old lady that I am, I don’t leave the house after 7 but I love the night sky.. Now that it’s darker out earlier, I can drink it all up and still be in bed at a reasonable old lady hour. Whoa hoo!
So I am starting to think about holiday stuff, specifically the holiday stuff that could potentially happen in the new house. Then I start to think about all the stuff that needs to be done in the house before any holiday stuff can happen and then my eyes start to bug out and my brain does a wiggle and I forget the holiday stuff and start to freak out a bit. Then the mr is all “one thing at at time” and “we got this” and I am all like “ok, if you say so” and I calm down. Then I start to think about how soon the holidays are and the whole thing starts over again. So basically I am driving myself crazy.
It’s been a long week, but some of highlights are
There has been other stuff, but right now I can’t think of it. We kinda missed Halloween. We worked all day then decided that the front porch looked to sketchy and dangerous for little kids so didn’t give out candy which really bummed out the mr cause he didn’t get any Halloween candy this year. Last night I was vacuuming the floor and found a grape. picked it up, gave it a little dust off and ate it. Is that weird? And I cut my hair. Just a few inches over the bathroom sink while the mr was brushing his teeth. Oh man, I think I might be losing it a bit. What I really need to do is spend some time in the kitchen . I realized that I have been so wrapped up in craziness that I haven’t gotten any l really kitchen time in a while. This week I am back to making more time for the kitchen and my camera and trying not to be so crazy. I’ll make you a salad, maybe some cookies. And soup. We have been eating a shit ton of soup.
Sunday YEA!!! Little sister Barb is coming over today and doing some helping. I was thinking we would paint, maybe even clean, but I have a feeling her help might just be to hang out, listen to the radio and dance party to every crappy song that comes on. harass the mr, and just make me happy. Maybe we will get to some actual work, but I won’t be caring if we don’t. But I need to clean at some point for sure cause he house is a mess right now and it’s driving me freaking nuts. Maybe that’s what I can do with my extra hour.
Stuff from the world online.
-Need to stay awake for this one. YES! Dave Chappelle is *finally* hosting ‘SNL’ in case you were wondering if dreams come true
–A fantastic house.
-This is good because I don’t like to clean my coffee cups. It’s Okay to Never Wash Your Coffee Mug
–Girl Scout cookie cereal. Really? Yup, really.
-So many different kinds. The Ultimate Ice Cream Glossary, A to Z
-I never had a cool lunch box (be sad for me) Beyond The Pail: NPR Unpacks The History Of The Lunch Box
-What the FU*K. Hitting the Elevator Door-Close Button Won’t Make the Elevator Doors Close
–How Is A 1,600-Year-Old Tree Weathering California’s Drought?
-I needed to know, and now I do. How to Tell a Raven From a Crow
And speaking of birds.Shattered birds in windows
–Swearing Is Much Less Common Than It Seems…not in my family (or maybe it’s just me)
–All the pretty plants
and a few pics
Yawn, stretch, throw on some pants and back to it.
But it’s taking a whole lot of will power to get up and go. It’s just too perfect out to do much of anything. Is it weird that I love this cold and rainy weather? These are the days that I can spend all day in a ball of blankets on the couch next to a window looking out with hot beverages and good books.. I will get there soon, but not today. We started tiling the bathroom wall yesterday and need to finish it, along with he rest of the house.
This week flew by fast. It included a very quick foliage drive(stopped by a river so the mr could fly fish), Barbara turning 17 while watching her field hockey game, a tiny little baby that fell in love with me and wants me to be it’s new mommy, and the scraping and painting of so much everything. I think the highlight was when the 17 year old Barb stopped by the house to bring us coffee, hung out with us, and lent me her sweater that I love but probably won’t ever get a chance to wear cause all I wear are grubby, paint stained clothes. But none the less, it was great and maybe I’ll just wear the sweater to bed. And the colors. Every time I walk out of the house and see all the trees, all the colors…it just blows my mind. So good.
Other then that, not much else. I am giving myself a political detox for a few days before i barf, eating lots of roasted celeriac and missing my kitchen. I can’t freaking wait to spend all day cooking in baking in my kitchen. I can’t freakin wait!
And now I got to find those pants.
Internet for the looking.
–Everyone Should Make Time for Daydreaming. I do me a lot of it.
-The Difference Between Pepitas and the Seeds from Your Halloween Pumpkin
–6 Things You Need To Know About Cycling On The Sidewalk. I sometimes bike the sidewalk, but only when I have to and very slowly.
– Maybe this is the reason I hate wearing shoes. ABSORB EARTH’S FREE FLOWING ELECTRONS THROUGH THE SOLES OF YOUR FEET(EARTHING)
-Read this book this week. One of my new favorite books. It changed the way I look at the world, especially trees.
-Forget Tomayto/Tomahto: The Real Debate Is, Should It Be Refrigerated? II never do unless it’s 100% necessary
-feel like this is a close representation of my knitting basket. A Mass of Tangled Red Yarn Unravels from a Loom to Overtake a Brazilian Chapel
-What Tree Is that has been a frequent question. Trees With Leaves – A Deciduous Tree Leaf Key
-Speaking of trees, I would live in this tree house.The tree alone is pretty amazing.
– A little preemptive in looking, but I told myself I that I get to buy knew sheets and duvet cover when we move into the house (I am a linens slut) This bed set is looking good, although can’t go wrong with these either.
And pictures.
New baby, lots and lots of littles, and laying the flooring. Never a dull moment over here.
Erin finally popped and pushed out a humongous adorable little human (Emersion Reed Scott… I call him murder) so while she has been doing that and hanging out in the hospital, her littles have been my littles. Needless to say, my house got trashed, my fridge is empty, and all the printer paper is gone. We ate all the beans and apples in the house. Spent after schooldays drawing and making weird shaped out of scrap wood and nails while the mr and I worked. Not to take away from my sister pushing out a gigantic human from her body, but hell, my body/mind are fried. Taking the littles is easy (feed them, let them loose on Nick, homework, watch Malcom in the middle, brush teeth, bed) but laying floor is hard. Lots and lots of tiny pieces of floor that need to be hammered and bent and fanagled. So many nails, nailing for hours and having all the pressure of not nailing into the radiant heat tubing. My body has contoured into a semi permanent bent shape and red tubes are floating over my closed eyelids. The mr on his hands and knees for hours with so many slivers… It’s fucking painful. But we love it (the floor) and the bit of pain is worth it. As for the littles, the are so awesome. They can stay with us forever. Oh yeah, and my Dad has made his way back tot he state where he left all of his children for a visit so we have been doing all that family stuff too. If only I could figure out how to get paid for being with my family.(we could do a reality tv show but I don’t think America could handle that)
I am cooking food, I just haven’t had a lot of time to like clean dishes, make things pretty, and catch good enough light to take pictures but I am hoping to get a little time to make an epic cake this coming week. I want to bake plus I want to start a project and see it finished within a few hours. I miss posting recipes and and I think everyone around me needs some cake. So look for that (thinking some kind of pumpkin chocolate situation)
And as for today, the littles are back home with their mother so the mr and I are going to floor some more until our bodies give out then drive into the mountains for a well earned visual spectacular of color. And coffee. So much coffee.
Just for a laugh… Judah says to us the first time we went up to the hospital to see his mom and new baby bro .”holy haha. Look guys look. He is eating moms nipples.” He couldn’t stop laughing. That kid, oh boy is he awesome. He also said that the baby makes sounds like a big fart. I agree.
Internet stuff I found during my late night browsing sessions.
-Dude, I might just have to move to Japan. Japan Wants to Reward You for Safe Driving—with Coffee
–HOW VANILLA BECAME THE WORLD’S FAVORITE FLAVOR..is it yours?
-Into all of these hammocks. 5 Hammock Hybrids for Extreme Relaxation
-To the insurance company that doesn’t want to renew our house insurance policy because of our garden looks like we lack “pride of ownership” (for real what they said) Eight Reasons NOT to Clean Up in the Garden
-Ah, love this house.
–Do You Wish Time Would Slow Down? Yes, yes I do
-We are keeping the downstairs all white and light and bright. Inspirations
– “Extreme bees, extreme people.” Six Scientists, 1,000 Miles, One Prize: The Arctic Bumblebee
-This is fantastic. To bad I didn’t know this hack in art school. Ingenious Hack for Sketching with Two Point Perspective Using an Elastic String
-I have blown up a few carrots in the microwave in my day. Snap, Crackle, Kale: The Science Of Why Veggies Spark In The Microwave
And a few pics.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
-C
That’s right, it’s October. Another month, another season. Jeeze time, slow the f down!
The week was another jammed packed crazy fest. We picked up 800sqft of flooring(that sucked moving) and bought more paint (pure freaking white). We finished laying all the tubing for the radiant floor heating, the radiators are painted, in place, and plumbed. The plumbers are coming tomorrow to give us a new boilers o we can use all these new heating devices. There were two birthday parties,(happy birthday Miley Lu and Alex) a day at the pumpkin patch and drawing flowers, and the constant running back a forth between hardware stores. I had the birthday boy over for breakfast and asked him what he wanted me to make him. Anything, and he chose eggs bacon and toast. I made the eggs and toast but was not willing to cook the bacon. Bad aunt maybe, but I wasn’t about to stink up my house with that. Just no. So I gave him chocolate chips and sprinkles instead. He was happy. Oh and my little (by giant) brother came home for the first time for the weekend from the military college dressed in military garb and looking all beefy and smart. Crazy what a month away from home will do to a person. I think he is much cooler now.(but don’t tell him that)
Maybe one of the best parts of the week…..Found my vintage yellow fridge! Oh how I love the craigslist. The mr and I went and picked it up yesterday. Had to load the heavy as hell fridge on top of the Volvo and drive 20 miles. It was terrifying . I thought the fridge was going to go barreling off onto the hood of the car or tip over and roll away. But we made it and now we are proud owners of a vintage yellow frigidaire fridge. It’s all sorts of fantastic.
So yeah, I am really tired today and feeling a little lousy this morning. I think I need to take it easy today, I can feel this turning into full on sick if I don’t catch it now. The mr and I need to clean up at the house and get ready for the plumbers, but other then that. Me and the couch are going to be friends today. Coffee, book, sleep. Sounds like a plan.
My internet finds from the week.
-Something I think about way too much. Now — And The Physics Of Time
–HOW A PERUVIAN FARMER IS GROWING 180 KINDS OF POTATOES
–The FDA Is Finally Going to Update the Term ‘Healthy...Finally
-WE should all know this because we should The top 7 ways a trip to Mars could kill you, illustrated
–The Sweet Emotional Life of Bees.This is true of most people too.
-I reek of garlic All. The. Time. Finally, Here’s Some Good News About Garlic Breath
-Ever wonder about take out containers? Chinese Food Delivery Containers, Explained
–Our Robot Overlords Are Now Delivering Pizza, And Cooking It On The Go. Or just make your own at home, but this is still kinda cool.
-The 11 Varieties of Winter Squash You Need to Know Cause its squash season
-The night comes sooner now so I can get outside to see the stars before my bedtime. A Meteor Shower and 8 More Can’t-Miss Sky Events in October
And the weeks pictures.
It is super chilly and dark out and the smell of jelly donuts is wafting in from open windows (it’s coming from the donut factory down the street) and I am thinking about grabbing the wool blanket from the packed away winter stuff and crawling back into bed, just for a little while longer until the coffee is done brewing. (4am wake up this morning and I am feeling like a nap is in order soon, even if it is 6am) This is the stuff of the best fall morning. Now if this could be my all day.#lifegosls
The week was a week, but a good week at that. Started getting squash with the farm share which lead to a discussion between me and the mr about what our absolute #1 food we could live off of forever (him, pizza.Me, super roasted kombucha squash covered in nut butter) I made a sheet birthday cake that also contained about an entire package of oreo cookies for a newly 15 year old Jackson that is making me feel old. There was a dinner here and a dinner there and just a lot of people and family. We haven’t spent much time at home or by ourselves this week so I am definitely ready for a quite day all to my lonesome. My brain is on overload.
We ordered the downstairs flooring!!! Come this Wednesday, the mr and I will be unloading 40 or so bundles of some pretty white “utility grade” oak. We also found some floor tile for the bathroom for dirt cheap at the resourse store( tiny white squares.. nothing fancy but looks sharp) Flooring is for real you guys. Once we lay this stuff it’s over. We are good and yeah. (until 2 hours later when we realize we have a million other things to accomplish) But all is good. We have flooring.
So today is going to be a fun one. The mr, my brother and I are going to attempt to move the 10 million pound radiators from the back yard to the upstairs….. Going to be oh so much fun (no, not it is no) Once we move them, I am going to finish painting them and the mr will install them. Whoa hoo! Plumbers are coming soon to hook up the new boiler so we have to get all this shit ready. WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK!
How about you? Got any fun activities planned for this here fantastic fall weekend? Find something enjoyable, preferably outside, and try to stay away from reading all about the politics. We all need a break from that.
Internet stuff that kept me interested.
– Do yourself a favor and go outside. This Is Your Brain on Nature
– Almost finished this book and about to start this one.
– I like honey crisps all right, but I am a mac girl for always. (and they are usually one of the cheaper varieties) Why Are Honeycrisps So Much More Expensive Than Other Apples?
-Breadfruit came from testicles and other weird myths. THE WORLD’S BEST FOOD-BASED CREATION MYTHS
-How can trees not have secret lives. A Web Of Trees And Their ‘Hidden’ Lives
– And this. Today in Terrifying Bird News, Pigeons Know How to Read
-This would be my bliss (with an added coffee bar) Secluded Library In The Woods
-I got my information from Meryl Strep in The Devil Wears Prada (love the movie) How Trends Trickle Down. The circuitous path of ideas in food and fashion.
-Breaking Taboo, Swedish Scientist Seeks To Edit DNA Of Healthy Human Embryos. I am officially scared.
-I think this might be my next knitting project. Purl Soho Pullover
Some pics from the past week.