Two years ago I read an article about how I should be tipping not only my mail carrier at the holidays, but my local sanitation workers as well.
At this point, I had been a taxpaying adult with my very own dumpster for roughly four years. Oops. Four years in which Emily Post was hanging her head in shame at my kind.
At least I had been giving the mailman a card and gift (because I knew his name and had spoken to him on several occasions) so I was at least 33.333% polite.
As if I didn't already worry enough, the revelation opened a whole new Christmas themed field to stress about: how much should I tip the people who provide the valuable service of garbage removal each week? How about the recycling people? Cash or gift? How many of each? I think there are two men who take the trash and one who takes the recycling but I'm not entirely sure.
And the logistics: I had been leaving a small present and a card for the mailman attached to the mailbox (hopefully not a federal offense; if it is, let me know and I will repent of my criminal ways). But short of standing outside all day, how would I deliver said tip? Even I in my tipping ignorance know it would be rude (and possibly foolhardy) to tape a present to the lid of my dumpster.
Then bring in the question of money. If I'm going to do this, I want to do it right. I don't want to insult my garbage collector by being cheap but I don't want to overcompensate either.
There may be someone out there who gets all this stuff right, year after year. But I'm guessing the majority of us are just figuring it out as we go along. So instead of letting my worry control me I'll focus on what the season is really all about. Peace on earth and not anxiety. Good will and gratitude toward others and not stress over what to "get" them.
But now that I know you're supposed to tip sanitation workers, I expect a huge tip from someone for whom I provide the very important task of waste removal several times a day. She's only 16 months old but it's not too early for her to learn proper etiquette. Though I will accept a hug and kiss in lieu of cash.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
I hate being sick
You would think after seven years of daily nausea, etc. that I would be used to stomach illness, but being gluten free spoiled me.
Now when I'm actually sick (and it has nothing to do with gluten) I feel somewhat betrayed. Didn't I already pay my dues, thereby getting me out of stomach bug duty for the next 58 years?
Oh, it doesn't work that way? Too bad.
So instead I'm taking it easy and being thankful that Little Girl is still easily entertained by making a mess and picking it up.
Today I'm also thinking of and praying for those affected by the tornadoes in Indiana and Illinois, as well as remembering those in Oklahoma still recovering from their own bad weather six months ago.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Thoughts on pizza making...
With much self-sacrifice**, I made my husband a "regular" pizza crust last night. Amazingly, I still had wheat flour (albeit at the very back of the top shelf of the pantry). More amazingly, it had not expired.
**it wasn't that much of a sacrifice; see below.
Why did I ever think baking from scratch was hard? With **one** flour? I guess it's similar to the adjustment from zero kids to one. You wonder how on earth you will manage but once you get the hang of one, adding a second makes your job only about 12% harder instead of twice as hard.
After making the pizza crust with only four ingredients, one of which was salt, I made this crust.
In case I haven't mentioned it, this blogger is one of my gluten free heroes. I've loved everything I've made from her blog (and I kind of went nuts baking over the last month so speak from experience). In fact, I made a double batch of this pizza crust without trying it first. That's how much I trust her and her recipes. Check it out. Chocolate chip cookies! Sandwich bread! Things I thought I would do without until I could afford $5 for something that used to cost $1!
I did substitute additional sorghum flour for the teff, though, as my gluten free budget needs a break. When I went nuts baking as I mentioned earlier, I kind of also went nuts on the flour buying.
Which I guess disqualifies me as a cheapskate, but let me preface by saying that I buy in bulk at the best prices I can find. Also, I only buy one new type of flour every few months, making substitutions when I can. Despite the high cost of flours, making from scratch is definitely cheaper than buying pre-packaged GF stuff. Talk about sticker shock!
Anyway, my pizza turned out fantastic tasting, though I don't think I rolled the dough thin enough to cook in the time allotted (which is all user error and not recipe error). I was using a smaller pan and thought cooking it longer would compensate. It did cook through but was just a little "breadier" of a crust than I'm used to (ahem, cracker-like crust, I'm looking at you).
So do I miss the convenience of Little Caesar's? You bet. But I'm also glad to have two decent pizza places within five miles as well as awesome DIY recipes. I'm so glad it isn't 20 years ago.
Disclaimer: please don't get upset with me for baking a glutenated crust in my kitchen. I know some people wouldn't be able to handle the cross-contamination. However, I have weighed the risks with my level of sensitivity and I feel comfortable with the amount of precautions I take. Your mileage may vary, obviously.
**it wasn't that much of a sacrifice; see below.
Why did I ever think baking from scratch was hard? With **one** flour? I guess it's similar to the adjustment from zero kids to one. You wonder how on earth you will manage but once you get the hang of one, adding a second makes your job only about 12% harder instead of twice as hard.
After making the pizza crust with only four ingredients, one of which was salt, I made this crust.
In case I haven't mentioned it, this blogger is one of my gluten free heroes. I've loved everything I've made from her blog (and I kind of went nuts baking over the last month so speak from experience). In fact, I made a double batch of this pizza crust without trying it first. That's how much I trust her and her recipes. Check it out. Chocolate chip cookies! Sandwich bread! Things I thought I would do without until I could afford $5 for something that used to cost $1!
I did substitute additional sorghum flour for the teff, though, as my gluten free budget needs a break. When I went nuts baking as I mentioned earlier, I kind of also went nuts on the flour buying.
Which I guess disqualifies me as a cheapskate, but let me preface by saying that I buy in bulk at the best prices I can find. Also, I only buy one new type of flour every few months, making substitutions when I can. Despite the high cost of flours, making from scratch is definitely cheaper than buying pre-packaged GF stuff. Talk about sticker shock!
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| This isn't a picture of me. Nor is it a picture of pizza. With a hungry toddler fussing at my feet, I never remember to take pictures. So here is a semi-related picture of Big Girl making lasagna. Otherwise this post would just be a big block of text. You're welcome. |
Anyway, my pizza turned out fantastic tasting, though I don't think I rolled the dough thin enough to cook in the time allotted (which is all user error and not recipe error). I was using a smaller pan and thought cooking it longer would compensate. It did cook through but was just a little "breadier" of a crust than I'm used to (ahem, cracker-like crust, I'm looking at you).
So do I miss the convenience of Little Caesar's? You bet. But I'm also glad to have two decent pizza places within five miles as well as awesome DIY recipes. I'm so glad it isn't 20 years ago.
Disclaimer: please don't get upset with me for baking a glutenated crust in my kitchen. I know some people wouldn't be able to handle the cross-contamination. However, I have weighed the risks with my level of sensitivity and I feel comfortable with the amount of precautions I take. Your mileage may vary, obviously.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
This frugality lesson brought to you by Elmo
I was doing some grocery shopping this morning while waiting to pick up our Christmas pictures (who's on top of things? Yes, that's right: me!!) and came across these in the clearance bin for a quarter.
It took me a second to figure out but finally I realized they are travel toothbrush holders. Here's where my frugal self and my earth friendly self butted heads.
Earth friendly self: "You don't need these. They are plastic and cheap looking."
Frugal self: "But they're only a quarter and what will you use instead?"
Whereupon EFS shamefully admits to wrapping the bristles in toilet paper (I'm sure her kids enjoy the two-ply mixed in with their toothpaste).
So into the cart they went and I had a small epiphany that reconciled my two selves. In an ideal world wherein I would make my own sustainable toothbrush cover and/or not use a toothbrush in the first place and opt for brushing with a twig, these would be waste. But I live in the real world, where these will get used at least four times a year and might possibly last indefinitely (i.e. until my kids are too embarrassed to have Elmo in their toiletry bag).
Which brings us to the moral of this story:
No waste is nice but a lint free toothbrush is just as nice.
Friday, October 18, 2013
On kindness
Today I watched my daughter struggle to hold open a heavy door for an adult who went through it without a thank you and without even looking at my daughter.
I was hurt for her. I wanted to apologize for the rudeness of the world. Inwardly, I raged at anyone who would ignore a child and then go on to complain about the faults of "kids these days."
Before I could say anything, however, she turned to me with a big smile on her face and said "I'm a helper."
She didn't see insensitivity or unkindness. She saw her role as not to fix the world but to shine her light into it.
I have so much to learn from her. I pray that I can let kindness be such a strong motivation that other people's indifference or unkindness fades into the background. Let me be a helper.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Five Frugal Things
Hi, folks, I'm back again. Took a much needed break to reorganize and prioritize.
I've seen the five frugal things idea most recently on The Non-Consumer Advocate's blog (can't remember if the idea is original to her or not though). I thought the idea was a good one so here goes:
Five Frugal Things:
1. Overcame temptation to eat at Chik-fil-A and instead had leftover beef vegetable soup (sorry CFA cow mascots). Was rewarded when 15 month old closed her eyes, sighed and said "ommy" (yummy).
2. Replaced elastic in the legs of 10 well loved BumGenius diapers. They were basically useless to me with the old elastic and this will hopefully be the last time I need to replace it. Good thing because each one took me half an hour. Thanks for the false hope, five-minute tutorial on YouTube. Honestly, though, thank you five-minute tutorial on YouTube for showing me how to do this in only half an hour instead of the three it would have taken me to do it my way.
3. Held a garage sale. Was not so much rewarded in money (though $11.75 isn't nothing) as in fellowship. Thanks, A, for sitting with me in the cold and covering for my multiple trips inside to change diapers, feed kids, and change outfits (toddler+wet grass+dirt=mud). Actually toddler+anything+anything=mud come to think of it.
Some leftovers went to Goodwill, others in the back of my van for drop off at Half-Price Books, and some I sold on a virtual garage sale page. This box represents "as yet to be dispersed" items.
4. Sweet talked my way into a free paint stirrer stick at the hardware store. No, actually, I offered to pay. We have an area on a doorframe where there once was a hinge. Rather than filling the entire thing with wood putty, my husband suggested gluing in a piece of wood and puttying around it. We had some paint sticks that were a smidge too big, and the ones at this store were just right. The guy behind the counter was not so much overcome with generosity because of my ingenuity but by sympathy for my fool's errand. In his immortal words: "I don't think that will work." I haven't done this yet. I'll let you know.
5. Made a batch of baking mix. I pinned a Pamela's copycat recipe awhile back but something always went wrong in the three times I've attempted it. I think by swapping buttermilk powder for regular powdered milk and using store bought rice flour instead of grinding my own I'm on the right track. It's still a tad bit salty for my taste so I'm going to cut the salt next time.
P.S. Re: painting on leaves and using them to stencil your walls: um...fail. I'm glad I practiced on a sheet of paper first. The leaves will stay in my backyard for the time being. Kudos to anyone who attempts and recreates the concept though.
I've seen the five frugal things idea most recently on The Non-Consumer Advocate's blog (can't remember if the idea is original to her or not though). I thought the idea was a good one so here goes:
Five Frugal Things:
1. Overcame temptation to eat at Chik-fil-A and instead had leftover beef vegetable soup (sorry CFA cow mascots). Was rewarded when 15 month old closed her eyes, sighed and said "ommy" (yummy).
2. Replaced elastic in the legs of 10 well loved BumGenius diapers. They were basically useless to me with the old elastic and this will hopefully be the last time I need to replace it. Good thing because each one took me half an hour. Thanks for the false hope, five-minute tutorial on YouTube. Honestly, though, thank you five-minute tutorial on YouTube for showing me how to do this in only half an hour instead of the three it would have taken me to do it my way.
 |
| From stretched out to like new... |
3. Held a garage sale. Was not so much rewarded in money (though $11.75 isn't nothing) as in fellowship. Thanks, A, for sitting with me in the cold and covering for my multiple trips inside to change diapers, feed kids, and change outfits (toddler+wet grass+dirt=mud). Actually toddler+anything+anything=mud come to think of it.
Some leftovers went to Goodwill, others in the back of my van for drop off at Half-Price Books, and some I sold on a virtual garage sale page. This box represents "as yet to be dispersed" items.
 |
| This is so much more manageable |
4. Sweet talked my way into a free paint stirrer stick at the hardware store. No, actually, I offered to pay. We have an area on a doorframe where there once was a hinge. Rather than filling the entire thing with wood putty, my husband suggested gluing in a piece of wood and puttying around it. We had some paint sticks that were a smidge too big, and the ones at this store were just right. The guy behind the counter was not so much overcome with generosity because of my ingenuity but by sympathy for my fool's errand. In his immortal words: "I don't think that will work." I haven't done this yet. I'll let you know.
5. Made a batch of baking mix. I pinned a Pamela's copycat recipe awhile back but something always went wrong in the three times I've attempted it. I think by swapping buttermilk powder for regular powdered milk and using store bought rice flour instead of grinding my own I'm on the right track. It's still a tad bit salty for my taste so I'm going to cut the salt next time.
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| A bowl of (future) biscuity goodness got the recipe here: http://community.stretcher.com/forums/t/1823.aspx |
P.S. Re: painting on leaves and using them to stencil your walls: um...fail. I'm glad I practiced on a sheet of paper first. The leaves will stay in my backyard for the time being. Kudos to anyone who attempts and recreates the concept though.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Miscellaneous
I haven't posted anything for the entire month of September. I felt a little burned out and like there was nothing much to say. Here are some random updates though:
1. I discovered this fantastic site that I encourage anyone gluten free to visit:
http://recreatinghappiness.com/
I don't post a lot of recipes myself, and that's because it's not really where my strength lies. I'm much better at following directions rather than making something totally new. There are so many great gluten free recipes out there and I'm not patient enough to attempt to repeat their efforts. Although I am tossing around this idea for a corn tortilla that doesn't fall apart.
2. I sold a bunch of stuff (including the kitchen table!) and donated a lot more to Goodwill. I feel like my life is peaceful when it's not surrounded by clutter. So I'm in a very happy place right now. :-)
3. The dining room re-do is complete (except for refinishing the floors) and the living room has begun. I am getting ready to attempt this on the walls:
I knew all those random sample paint cans would come in handy for something.
That's all for now. Off to take advantage of naptime.
1. I discovered this fantastic site that I encourage anyone gluten free to visit:
http://recreatinghappiness.com/
I don't post a lot of recipes myself, and that's because it's not really where my strength lies. I'm much better at following directions rather than making something totally new. There are so many great gluten free recipes out there and I'm not patient enough to attempt to repeat their efforts. Although I am tossing around this idea for a corn tortilla that doesn't fall apart.
2. I sold a bunch of stuff (including the kitchen table!) and donated a lot more to Goodwill. I feel like my life is peaceful when it's not surrounded by clutter. So I'm in a very happy place right now. :-)
3. The dining room re-do is complete (except for refinishing the floors) and the living room has begun. I am getting ready to attempt this on the walls:
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| Photo from This Old House magazine |
I knew all those random sample paint cans would come in handy for something.
That's all for now. Off to take advantage of naptime.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Happy birthday to meeeee, my dining room is done!
Well, almost. I need to sell this table and chair (plus the other three that go with it that I felt it was superfluous to photograph). Then I need to hang curtains, pictures, and return the tools to the garage. Believe it or not, I don't plan to accessorize with an electric drill and a bucket of drywall compound.
However. I'm super excited that the painting portion of this room is done. We have some kid free time coming up soon and I plan to use that to finish the little odds and ends. Because nothing says "happy 31st birthday" like a new dining room!
Cheapskate breakdown:
Paint: $10
Curtains+curtain rod: $7 (from Wal-Mart on clearance a hundred years ago)
Dresser for extra dishes: $15 from garage sale+free Menards pulls
Art: $5 from garage sale for framed cafe scene picture, $15 or so for mat board, frames, and paint for dulcimer pictures
Sunshades: Luau party beach mats from Big Lots via a garage sale 50 cents each+magnets ($2) sewn in fabric pockets on back to hold them up on steel door
School desk: $12.99 from Goodwill
Other decorative stuff: (vintage canisters, silver tray, sparkling grape juice bottle, respectively) Free--Christmas gift, $1 at a garage sale, free from hospital, personalized with Little Girl's birth info)
=$68.99
Once I sell the table, I'm hoping to score a good deal on a kids' table as this is a multipurpose playroom/dining room for the time being.
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| These two cross-stitch pictures were made by a family member and handed down from my mom to me for Christmas last year. I need to cut some mats using a mat cutter I was able to borrow from a church friend. |
However. I'm super excited that the painting portion of this room is done. We have some kid free time coming up soon and I plan to use that to finish the little odds and ends. Because nothing says "happy 31st birthday" like a new dining room!
Cheapskate breakdown:
Paint: $10
Curtains+curtain rod: $7 (from Wal-Mart on clearance a hundred years ago)
Dresser for extra dishes: $15 from garage sale+free Menards pulls
Art: $5 from garage sale for framed cafe scene picture, $15 or so for mat board, frames, and paint for dulcimer pictures
Sunshades: Luau party beach mats from Big Lots via a garage sale 50 cents each+magnets ($2) sewn in fabric pockets on back to hold them up on steel door
School desk: $12.99 from Goodwill
Other decorative stuff: (vintage canisters, silver tray, sparkling grape juice bottle, respectively) Free--Christmas gift, $1 at a garage sale, free from hospital, personalized with Little Girl's birth info)
=$68.99
Once I sell the table, I'm hoping to score a good deal on a kids' table as this is a multipurpose playroom/dining room for the time being.
Friday, August 30, 2013
In sickness and in health, and...
Last night I was in a weird mood and vented on Facebook about how much I hated gluten at the moment, hated feeling like a weirdo every time I leave the security of my own kitchen. I want to be able to eat what's put in front of me without quizzing the chef.
I'm so thankful for my friends for their empathy and understanding. Any feelings of being a pain are entirely in my own head and not something that my friends have made me feel. Regardless, I was feeling down and I wanted to make some pancakes to cheer myself up, remind myself that it's not the end of the world.
I found this recipe on Pinterest and was lured in by the promise of simplicity. One flour?? One? Really???
In this blogger's defense, the pancakes were delicious as promised. It was only my casual interpretation of the words "cup" and "teaspoon" that threw off the consistency. (I can't get used to the fact that "a pinch of this" and "a smidge of that" doesn't really work with gluten-free flours, most of which billow like baby powder in your face and all over your counter and are therefore, really hard to measure.)
As I was whipping up dinner and practicing my geography (pretty sure I saw Idaho and Florida, as well as something that closely resembled a petunia) I was thinking about my poor husband and the random gluten-free dinner options I've subjected him to over the past couple of years. Aside from an occasional "you probably shouldn't make this again" (I usually concur) he has sampled my mishaps and my successes alike without complaint.
Significant because, unlike me, he has a choice. Oh, sure, technically I do have a choice, but I'm going with the decision that doesn't involve me feeling like my appendix is being removed sans anesthesia thank you very much.
We just celebrated our eighth anniversary and I was thinking the other day about romance. We have never been much for flowers and all that but to me, no fancy chocolates or jewelry would mean as much to me as quietly eating soggy corn pasta, crumbling cookies, and biscuits with the texture of marshmallows.
Thank you for being with me through sickness, health, and gluten-free.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Paint!!
I'm sitting here typing this with primer and paint polka dotted hands. As you can probably surmise, I've been busy painting, hence my absence from blogging.
(I thought it was a good idea to actually live life instead of just blogging about it...)
I got one wall painted blue and then my husband and I decided we kind of hated it.
It's a nice shade but just a little jarring with the rest of the house's muted theme (it looks gray here but it's actually robin's egg blue).
So we did what any other cheap/innovative people would do and mixed the blue with some other too dark paint with blue-ish undertones. It came out kind of the color of a Hershey's Kiss. Mmmmmm.
I'm looking forward to finishing this so I can hang pictures and curtains. After that I already have grand plans for ripping up tile in the bathroom.
(I thought it was a good idea to actually live life instead of just blogging about it...)
I got one wall painted blue and then my husband and I decided we kind of hated it.
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| From this... |
 |
| ...to this |
It's a nice shade but just a little jarring with the rest of the house's muted theme (it looks gray here but it's actually robin's egg blue).
So we did what any other cheap/innovative people would do and mixed the blue with some other too dark paint with blue-ish undertones. It came out kind of the color of a Hershey's Kiss. Mmmmmm.
I'm looking forward to finishing this so I can hang pictures and curtains. After that I already have grand plans for ripping up tile in the bathroom.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Kindergarten lunches
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| She moved too fast for me to get a good shot so I'm going with the abstract artsy feel on this one. |
Big Girl has been a kindergartner for a full week now. She has changed so much already (in good ways) and I'm glad I decided to send her to school. As a former homeschooler I wrestled with the decision between public school, private school, and homeschool and decided to give the public school a try. So far, it has been a huge blessing in her life.
So since she has broadened her horizons and challenged herself, I wanted to write a little bit about my challenge with myself in making her school lunches, since the gluten free thing is supposedly part of my blog. The main dishes this past week included:
hummus and tortilla chips
a turkey and cheese "sandwich" on Glutino crackers (highly recommend)
plain yogurt with some GF granola (used Trader Joe's but Bakery on Main also makes a great one)
a bean quesadilla (refried beans in a corn tortilla)
cubed cooked chicken (from a roasted chicken I made for dinner) with homemade honey mustard dip
Add some cubed cheese, various cut up fruits and veggies, and milk and she is good to go.
It's been a fun spin on the Adventure Breakfasts we tried this summer. I think everything has been a hit but she has a mostly non-picky appetite. Each week I'm trying to get even more inventive with my menus.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Why I'm happy with my Dumb Phone
The other day, I was answering some pressing questions regarding the mechanical function of a gas pump when my phone rang. It was a call I'd been expecting and needed to take to get a quick answer.
Having exhausted my gas pump knowledge (easily accomplished within ten seconds), I assumed the subject had been fully discussed and I told Big Girl, "I need to take this, just a minute, please."
Well, one minute was not actually one minute, and when I got off, she very calmly said, "Mom, I was talking to you and you interrupted. Whenever I interrupt grownups you tell me to wait but you interrupted me."
Wow. She was right. In my mind, the subject had been thoroughly hashed out, but she wasn't finished yet. I should have asked her if she was done before turning my attention to someone else.
There have been many times I've been interrupted by life one way or another when having long discussions with Big Girl (she is nothing if not thorough in her quest for knowledge.) Obviously, I can't neglect every interaction but her mature statement of her feelings made me realize that at least once too often, I made the wrong choice for that moment.
I'm sure everyone has seen the articles circulating on Facebook about Moms on iPhones and the various rebuttals. I take a middle of the road stance on that particular topic. I don't want to be glued to my phone to the exclusion of my children, but I also think children need to learn that Mom (or Dad) doesn't need to witness every tiny detail of their lives. I think you can take things to an extreme either way.
My extreme is a super obsessive personality. Collections are out of the question. When I find an author I like, I read all his or her books back to back like I can't get enough. I researched cloth diaper brands for close to six hours (after kids were in bed) before going with my first choice. When I started blogging, I planned to blog every day and almost threw in the towel when that didn't work.
So an iPhone plus an obsessive personality to me spells disaster. I need the un-accessibility at times. I need to be unplugged from the world and know it will be okay if I miss a Facebook message or a once in a lifetime deal on Craigslist, etc. Strangely, cheapness doesn't really factor into my decision.
I can count on one hand the number of times an iPhone might have come in handy over the past year and each time, there has been a simple solution.
1. We were looking for the farmer's market and the billboard advertising it only posted the website, not the location. Solution: call someone to look it up. When they didn't answer, I did what people have been doing since Lewis and Clark (and way before) and followed my inner compass. Found the farmer's market in 30 seconds.
2. I needed to run errands but was waiting on someone to Facebook message me back. Solution: send them a Facebook message explaining I would be unavailable until x time and to please call or text me at my number.
3. I got stuck in a ditch out of town in the middle of nowhere. Solution: I looked on my car GPS to find a towing company, then when they couldn't help me, I had them give me three other potential numbers. That one's a stretch because cell phone service was spotty anyway so I'm not sure if a smart phone would have improved my experience.
Having exhausted my gas pump knowledge (easily accomplished within ten seconds), I assumed the subject had been fully discussed and I told Big Girl, "I need to take this, just a minute, please."
Well, one minute was not actually one minute, and when I got off, she very calmly said, "Mom, I was talking to you and you interrupted. Whenever I interrupt grownups you tell me to wait but you interrupted me."
Wow. She was right. In my mind, the subject had been thoroughly hashed out, but she wasn't finished yet. I should have asked her if she was done before turning my attention to someone else.
There have been many times I've been interrupted by life one way or another when having long discussions with Big Girl (she is nothing if not thorough in her quest for knowledge.) Obviously, I can't neglect every interaction but her mature statement of her feelings made me realize that at least once too often, I made the wrong choice for that moment.
I'm sure everyone has seen the articles circulating on Facebook about Moms on iPhones and the various rebuttals. I take a middle of the road stance on that particular topic. I don't want to be glued to my phone to the exclusion of my children, but I also think children need to learn that Mom (or Dad) doesn't need to witness every tiny detail of their lives. I think you can take things to an extreme either way.
My extreme is a super obsessive personality. Collections are out of the question. When I find an author I like, I read all his or her books back to back like I can't get enough. I researched cloth diaper brands for close to six hours (after kids were in bed) before going with my first choice. When I started blogging, I planned to blog every day and almost threw in the towel when that didn't work.
So an iPhone plus an obsessive personality to me spells disaster. I need the un-accessibility at times. I need to be unplugged from the world and know it will be okay if I miss a Facebook message or a once in a lifetime deal on Craigslist, etc. Strangely, cheapness doesn't really factor into my decision.
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| I just last year got a phone with a pull out keyboard for texting, which is a great source of amusement to Little Girl. I can also take pictures and have a choice of four different ringtones. Whoa. |
I can count on one hand the number of times an iPhone might have come in handy over the past year and each time, there has been a simple solution.
1. We were looking for the farmer's market and the billboard advertising it only posted the website, not the location. Solution: call someone to look it up. When they didn't answer, I did what people have been doing since Lewis and Clark (and way before) and followed my inner compass. Found the farmer's market in 30 seconds.
2. I needed to run errands but was waiting on someone to Facebook message me back. Solution: send them a Facebook message explaining I would be unavailable until x time and to please call or text me at my number.
3. I got stuck in a ditch out of town in the middle of nowhere. Solution: I looked on my car GPS to find a towing company, then when they couldn't help me, I had them give me three other potential numbers. That one's a stretch because cell phone service was spotty anyway so I'm not sure if a smart phone would have improved my experience.
Friday, August 9, 2013
The ideal life
If you've followed my blog for any length of time (or if you know me personally, for that matter) you know that I have a real struggle with perfection. I love to read books and blogs committed to ideals: i.e. a year without buying, a plastic free house, or a completely organic diet. When I read these types of things, though, it's hard for me to go back to my real life. I feel overwhelmed, like I have to incorporate all of these lofty aspirations into my daily life.
Ideally I would make all my own clothes, run a marathon, homeschool all 13 years (per kid), serve only homegrown foods (and of course no junk food!), and never use a disposable product. There may be someone out there that can do this, but I've accepted that it's not me.
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| I have a lot of fruit in my life... |
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| ...but there's still room for the mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. |
I have a real passion for cloth diapers. Likewise, for homeschooling during the preschool years. Gardening, not so much. And while I would like to buy only hormone free, ethically raised meat and dairy products, I'm just now starting to get a handle on the gluten-free thing.
I've heard Dr. Spock quoted many times as saying something like "Trust yourself. You know more than you think." So my twist on this and my new motto is:
"Trust yourself. You are more perfect than you think."
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Silicone caulk is not for patching drywall and other life lessons
They say you can't hide your mistakes and I've discovered that to be true. For example, if you want to patch some holes and you can't find your joint compound and instead use silicone caulk, the next owner WILL notice when she goes to paint.
Speaking purely hypothetically of course. Or not.
Hmm. So that hole I strategically covered with a piece of furniture...that paint glob that I ignored in the hopes that it wasn't glaringly obvious. Sorry about that, lady who bought our old house. You probably weren't any more happy to inherit my temporary fixes than I am at the moment with my own inherited house quirks.
As you can guess, I've just finished scraping bunches of silicone caulk out from behind the trim in our dining room. It's tough stuff. Which is why I have yet to put any color on the walls even though I have been "in the process of painting" for the past two weeks.
Also slowing me down has been the archway. It was incorrectly installed and the part where the bottom of the arch joins the doorframe (I don't know technical terms here) sticks out about half an inch past the doorframe instead of being flush. I have called upon my artistic skills to camouflage the discrepancy until we can actually fix it.
Working in 15 minute bursts as I find the time, I have finished rough sanding everything. I just need to go over it with a fine sanding sponge and then (hallelujah chorus!) I will be ready to change my bright orange-with-drywall-splotch-white-accents to blue.
Also...some updates from my July projects. I was on vacation when I blogged about my flowers and when I returned home I realized that they had died in my absence. In keeping up with my goals for the month, I also tried to make some coconut milk shampoo but failed for two reasons:
a. I used the wrong soap base
b. I used the wrong type of coconut milk
Considering there are only three ingredients, there was a pretty high chance this recipe was doomed from the start. However, I bought the right stuff earlier this week and hope to mix up a batch soon.
Speaking purely hypothetically of course. Or not.
Hmm. So that hole I strategically covered with a piece of furniture...that paint glob that I ignored in the hopes that it wasn't glaringly obvious. Sorry about that, lady who bought our old house. You probably weren't any more happy to inherit my temporary fixes than I am at the moment with my own inherited house quirks.
As you can guess, I've just finished scraping bunches of silicone caulk out from behind the trim in our dining room. It's tough stuff. Which is why I have yet to put any color on the walls even though I have been "in the process of painting" for the past two weeks.
Also slowing me down has been the archway. It was incorrectly installed and the part where the bottom of the arch joins the doorframe (I don't know technical terms here) sticks out about half an inch past the doorframe instead of being flush. I have called upon my artistic skills to camouflage the discrepancy until we can actually fix it.
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| Weird bumpy area looking 10 times better already |
Working in 15 minute bursts as I find the time, I have finished rough sanding everything. I just need to go over it with a fine sanding sponge and then (hallelujah chorus!) I will be ready to change my bright orange-with-drywall-splotch-white-accents to blue.
Also...some updates from my July projects. I was on vacation when I blogged about my flowers and when I returned home I realized that they had died in my absence. In keeping up with my goals for the month, I also tried to make some coconut milk shampoo but failed for two reasons:
a. I used the wrong soap base
b. I used the wrong type of coconut milk
Considering there are only three ingredients, there was a pretty high chance this recipe was doomed from the start. However, I bought the right stuff earlier this week and hope to mix up a batch soon.
The ants go marching
We have an ant problem. A major ant problem. They are taking over the kitchen.
Now, if they were taking over the kitchen and fixing me some shrimp, tomato and spinach linguine and a side salad that would be nice. But otherwise, they are not welcome.
I've tried cinnamon because I heard they hate the smell. Apparently these ants didn't get the memo because they marched right through my cinnamon pile and kept going. I tried baking soda because I read that it's bad news for ants but not so much for 13 month olds who put everything in their mouths. No go. I tried diatomaceous earth but could only put it in places those 13 month old hands can't reach.
Last night it poured and usually the morning after a rainstorm is when the ants invade en masse. But this morning I woke up to something beautiful in my kitchen. A spider.
Normally I dislike spiders almost as much as I dislike ants. But when the spiders are feasting on the ants and thereby helping you take back your kitchen, I love them.
Good teamwork, spider.
Now, if they were taking over the kitchen and fixing me some shrimp, tomato and spinach linguine and a side salad that would be nice. But otherwise, they are not welcome.
I've tried cinnamon because I heard they hate the smell. Apparently these ants didn't get the memo because they marched right through my cinnamon pile and kept going. I tried baking soda because I read that it's bad news for ants but not so much for 13 month olds who put everything in their mouths. No go. I tried diatomaceous earth but could only put it in places those 13 month old hands can't reach.
Last night it poured and usually the morning after a rainstorm is when the ants invade en masse. But this morning I woke up to something beautiful in my kitchen. A spider.
Normally I dislike spiders almost as much as I dislike ants. But when the spiders are feasting on the ants and thereby helping you take back your kitchen, I love them.
Good teamwork, spider.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Pinterest flops
I have to remind myself frequently that Pinterest isn't magic. I feel a huge sense of accomplishment when I pin something to a board before I realize that I haven't, in fact, done anything beyond clicking a button. Then the guilt sets in as I realize I'm not likely to complete even 10% of the projects I've pinned. Plus, to me un-started projects are clutter and I can't stand that, even if it's virtual online clutter.
After a rapid succession of flops, I'm taking a short Pinterest break. The flashcards I made for Little Girl's room were straight out of my own head, thereby proving I don't need Pinterest to inspire me.
I might make my way back eventually. For now, though, I'm going to focus on projects like cleaning my house that have a tried and true outcome.
Edited to add: I just realized that ironically, I'm standing next to a quilt hand sewn by my great-grandmother in the early part of the 1900's. Proof that sewing does run in the family, immune though I may be.
After a rapid succession of flops, I'm taking a short Pinterest break. The flashcards I made for Little Girl's room were straight out of my own head, thereby proving I don't need Pinterest to inspire me.
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| This dress looked so much better on Pinterest. In my version, the sleeves are about five inches too short and the dress itself is about 18 inches too wide. Despite the fact that I felt like I was wearing a tablecloth's worth of fabric around my legs, I cut it awkwardly short (and I'm only 5' 2"). Sadly, this is my second attempt at this same dress. I just don't learn from my mistakes. Or maybe I'm stubborn. Or both. |
I might make my way back eventually. For now, though, I'm going to focus on projects like cleaning my house that have a tried and true outcome.
Edited to add: I just realized that ironically, I'm standing next to a quilt hand sewn by my great-grandmother in the early part of the 1900's. Proof that sewing does run in the family, immune though I may be.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
One word
Little Girl has one word she uses consistently, frequently, and always in context.
No, it's not Mama. That doesn't have a word. The need for Mama is indicated by a scrunched up face, half open mouth, and a cough-cry.
It's not Dada either. That particular word describes anything from her father to a random stranger to a squished blueberry on the floor.
The word she most seems to grasp is "uh-oh." She will take a piece of something (usually banana or some other hard-to-sweep-up item), deliberately hold out her hand past her high chair tray, and release, proudly looking at me while announcing "uh-oh!"
As frustrating as this can be when a 12 month old does this, I wondered today how much more frustrating it is to God when his children act in a way that's basically the adult equivalent. How many times have I thrown a banana on the floor (so to speak), and then tried to rationalize my disobedience or carelessness?
I want to be mindful in raising my kids and in living my life. I know there will be mistakes, but I want the uh-ohs to be genuine opportunities to learn and grow.
No, it's not Mama. That doesn't have a word. The need for Mama is indicated by a scrunched up face, half open mouth, and a cough-cry.
It's not Dada either. That particular word describes anything from her father to a random stranger to a squished blueberry on the floor.
The word she most seems to grasp is "uh-oh." She will take a piece of something (usually banana or some other hard-to-sweep-up item), deliberately hold out her hand past her high chair tray, and release, proudly looking at me while announcing "uh-oh!"
As frustrating as this can be when a 12 month old does this, I wondered today how much more frustrating it is to God when his children act in a way that's basically the adult equivalent. How many times have I thrown a banana on the floor (so to speak), and then tried to rationalize my disobedience or carelessness?
I want to be mindful in raising my kids and in living my life. I know there will be mistakes, but I want the uh-ohs to be genuine opportunities to learn and grow.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
See me. See me decorate.
I'm changing Little Girl's room from a nursery replete with sheep to a big girl room. Where did the time go? Sob...
(Actually, I'm quite pleased at having reached the toddler stage of life as I highly prefer it to the newborn stage.)
Anyway, I'm decorating with a Dick and Jane theme. I made a wreath out of a 50's math textbook here:
I also wanted to use some vintage flashcards as decoration. However, at $1 each, this wasn't something I wanted to purchase in large quantity. Also, finding the right words to spell out phrases was a challenge.
So I did what any cheapskate would do: made my own. I bought a 25 cent sheet of posterboard, sprayed it with a tea solution to "age" it, printed the words I wanted with 100 point typewriter look alike font, traced them onto a piece of 3.5"x10" posterboard and colored in with a black marker.
For a quarter plus a little time:
The perfectionist in me wants to redo them and why not for as cheap as they are?
(Actually, I'm quite pleased at having reached the toddler stage of life as I highly prefer it to the newborn stage.)
Anyway, I'm decorating with a Dick and Jane theme. I made a wreath out of a 50's math textbook here:
I also wanted to use some vintage flashcards as decoration. However, at $1 each, this wasn't something I wanted to purchase in large quantity. Also, finding the right words to spell out phrases was a challenge.
So I did what any cheapskate would do: made my own. I bought a 25 cent sheet of posterboard, sprayed it with a tea solution to "age" it, printed the words I wanted with 100 point typewriter look alike font, traced them onto a piece of 3.5"x10" posterboard and colored in with a black marker.
For a quarter plus a little time:
The perfectionist in me wants to redo them and why not for as cheap as they are?
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Adventure breakfasts
Lately Big Girl and I have been having Adventure Breakfasts. Little Girl gets them too, but the whole adventure concept is probably lost on her.
Rules are simple: each morning is a new surprise menu and you can only fall back on cereal once a week. This week we have had smoothies and scrambled eggs with shredded Parmesan (Monday) and gluten-free hot cereal with raisins and brown sugar (Tuesday). Insert fruit as available.
Tomorrow's surprise will be pineapple coconut yogurt and some leftover biscuits I served with potato soup earlier this week.
It has been a fun experiment so far, a way to use up some of the things I had in the pantry or fridge, and a nice change from rice and corn cereal. Let's face it, those get so old after awhile.
She doesn't know it yet, but Big Girl gets a turn to plan the menu next week. I'll have to okay it, of course, and I'll end up doing a lot of the preparation but I think it will be fun for her to play chef for the week.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Happy birthday Little Girl!
It's been twenty-one months that I've loved you: nine months that you grew inside me and the year that has followed.
Six years ago, barely pregnant with your older sister, I dreamed vividly of two little girls, one a preschooler and the other a newborn just home from the hospital. Many times over the next few years I thought of that dream, even during the three years following your sister's birth when I was learning to adjust to the idea that she might be an only child.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, though, I had a feeling you would be here someday--although maybe not necessarily a girl. In fact, I called you Jack the entire first half of my pregnancy, so convinced I was that you were a boy after all. I remember when the ultrasound technician told me I was having another girl my first words were "are you sure?"
You were born during one of the hottest summers of my life, though I'm sure it only seemed that way due to my suddenly heavy and awkward size. When you were born, rain finally fell and ended our drought. It seemed to parallel the tears of joy I cried at meeting you for the first time.
I thought that I loved your sister and wouldn't be able to love you as much. I have discovered that I love both of you equally, and with an intensity that I never knew I could. You are the children I dreamed of many years ago.
I love the moments when you smile a three-tooth grin, or tell me "ssssss" with your finger in front of your mouth when you think I'm too noisy, or cling to me like a baby koala, or even when you throw a food you find distasteful on the floor and innocently say "uh-oh." I wish I could remember these times with your sister, but I was in a postpartum fog for so long that I didn't calm down and appreciate much beyond my stress and anxiety. You have the benefit of my experience and I won't make the same mistakes that I made with your sister.
Admittedly, you have fewer pictures in the scrapbook, and the ones that are in there also feature your sister or one of her various limbs, usually in your face. She loves you so much that she can't stand to be away from you. We all feel the same way. We love you, our big Little Girl, and wish you a very happy birthday.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Goals for July
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| This has absolutely nothing to do with the post but I do love some well-placed irony... |
I got a good start on my dining room (nothing picture worthy) and hope to finish this month.
I might be taking a lesson from Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin (a book I read earlier this year) and give myself permission to abandon a project. I have a few flowers that haven't found a home in my yard yet and I may find someone else who wants them. They are annuals that will lose their blooms soon anyway so I don't want to stress myself over plants with such a short shelf life.
I forgot to update that I did organize my medical records--as well as the rest of my filing cabinet--but I couldn't take pictures because the top of the cabinet was being used as a painting stand for 12' baseboards.
I'm starting to run low on my generic beauty products so I think it's time to look at some of the pins for natural shampoo, body wash, etc.
So:
1. Finish dining room
2. Find a new home for my forlorn flowers
3. Make a few new bath products
4. Read two books
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Books about food and picky eaters
Last month I read this book:
I enjoyed this book. As primarily a memoir, it was not earth-shattering but a well written book about how Americans tend to eat a lot of processed food. The book was the author's attempt to teach nine volunteer cooks how to cook from scratch and do away with pre-packaged, high sodium everything. I could really see the author's passion for food in her writing and that in turn made me feel renewed enthusiasm for cooking.
But what mostly got my attention was a comment on the back from the author of this book:
Both books are equally well written accounts of bringing people back to eating whole foods, but this one really resonated with me as a mom. I thought I was raising non-picky, healthy eaters but upon reading this book, I see there is so much room for improvement. I'm only halfway through so I can't give a full review, but I see where some of the tips could be implemented in our lives.
Parts of the French eating model seem harsh (and the author herself agrees). Even from birth, children are put on an eating schedule, and I fall on the side of breastfeeding on demand in the early days. However, I think the concept is true that sometimes we can get stuck in the on-demand mentality of feeding our kids so they never learn delayed gratification. The snacking chapter was especially enlightening.
The book is not about making kids go hungry or getting involved in power struggles over food ("you'll sit here until you eat every last green bean, Miss" types of battles). Instead, the French parents lead by example with healthy and adventurous eating habits and kids naturally learn a mannered approach to eating well.
I did notice that beyond baguette, there was not much listed in the diet that made me think "oh, I couldn't eat that" (pasta was mentioned in a negative light). Maybe expanding my cooking repertoire to include leeks and kohlrabi might not be a bad thing.
I enjoyed this book. As primarily a memoir, it was not earth-shattering but a well written book about how Americans tend to eat a lot of processed food. The book was the author's attempt to teach nine volunteer cooks how to cook from scratch and do away with pre-packaged, high sodium everything. I could really see the author's passion for food in her writing and that in turn made me feel renewed enthusiasm for cooking.
But what mostly got my attention was a comment on the back from the author of this book:
Both books are equally well written accounts of bringing people back to eating whole foods, but this one really resonated with me as a mom. I thought I was raising non-picky, healthy eaters but upon reading this book, I see there is so much room for improvement. I'm only halfway through so I can't give a full review, but I see where some of the tips could be implemented in our lives.
Parts of the French eating model seem harsh (and the author herself agrees). Even from birth, children are put on an eating schedule, and I fall on the side of breastfeeding on demand in the early days. However, I think the concept is true that sometimes we can get stuck in the on-demand mentality of feeding our kids so they never learn delayed gratification. The snacking chapter was especially enlightening.
The book is not about making kids go hungry or getting involved in power struggles over food ("you'll sit here until you eat every last green bean, Miss" types of battles). Instead, the French parents lead by example with healthy and adventurous eating habits and kids naturally learn a mannered approach to eating well.
I did notice that beyond baguette, there was not much listed in the diet that made me think "oh, I couldn't eat that" (pasta was mentioned in a negative light). Maybe expanding my cooking repertoire to include leeks and kohlrabi might not be a bad thing.
Friday, June 21, 2013
I'm on Facebook!
All the cool bloggers are doing it and I'm one of them now! My page is still very basic but I'll work on it. Hopefully it will be an outlet for "what's for dinner?" type posts as well as things that I think wouldn't make a full blog post.
Busy Saturday here. Didn't get a chance to garage sale but I am participating in a sale today (at least my stuff is) so hopefully I'll make some money.
Busy Saturday here. Didn't get a chance to garage sale but I am participating in a sale today (at least my stuff is) so hopefully I'll make some money.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Eating an elephant one bite at a time
I'm feeling overwhelmed this week. It's not that I'm doing that much, it's just a combination of having been sick + keeping a to-do list with 100 tiny tasks on it.
I know moms are supposed to be blessed with superhuman multitasking ability but I guess that superpower skipped me. I would much rather work on one thing until done and then start another. But life doesn't give me that luxury.
So today and hopefully by the end of this weekend, my elephant consists of the following:
1. Finish my sister's housewarming present and mail
2. Sew in a million ends on a scrap yarn afghan I made for church
3. Frost cupcakes
4. Pack a picnic lunch for tomorrow
5. Do something with the flowers that I brought home from the garden center well over two weeks ago. Fortunately we've had enough rain they have been thriving in their pots.
6. Go to the grocery store and replace the tomatoes, cottage cheese, and whipping cream I need for meals this week that molded when left in my 80+ degree van overnight.
7. Pick up an item I bought on a Craigslist-ish Facebook site
8. Put out an item I sold on the aforementioned site for pickup
9. Make lemonade (since life didn't give me any lemons, I had to buy them at the store)
10. Have my husband bring in the huge bucket of joint compound I bought and patch the dining room walls (round two).
11. Fill out paperwork for an upcoming doctor's appointment
12. Mix up a batch of homemade Pamela's baking mix*
*after declaring my undying love, I found a copycat recipe online that, while good, is not the original. However, I can't beat the 75% off price and will continue to mix my own since I bought all the ingredients already.
On the plus side, today I have already:
1. Bought joint compound
2. Baked cupcakes
3. Mopped the kitchen floor
4. Finished grocery shopping for the week (at least I thought...)
5. Procured a couple of addresses I've been needing
6. Helped Big Girl clean her room
7. Washed two loads of laundry
8. Played with the kids on the swingset
So if I'm not around much this weekend I'll be busy eating my elephant.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Baby fever
I don't have baby fever. I wonder if that's normal. I fully expected to, and tonight as I was rinsing the shampoo out of Little Girl's hair while attempting to keep her from standing up in the tub, it hit me that I have a toddler.
The second child has been so easy compared to the first. I guess it's different for everyone and a lot depends on the child's personality but Little Girl has been a nice surprise after the challenges I overcame with Big Girl.
Not to say it hasn't been hard, especially the last five months of waking up at least twice in the middle of the night to rock and nurse back to sleep. She's a messy eater and a 19 pound chunk that has no interest in walking. Plus, I'm starting to question the wisdom of raising a baby in a two story split level house which will need, by my estimation, approximately six baby gates.
Maybe it's because I'm a seasoned parent or maybe it's a combination of many things, but this past year has been just a flicker on my timeline. Nursing was such a challenge the first time, and I honestly think it was both our stubborn personalities put together that helped us fight our way to what I determined was the "finish line". Sleep was insane. I think I could count on one hand the number of times Big Girl slept through the night that first year. And that's with a very liberal definition of sleeping through the night. I missed my life at work like crazy and many days thought I would go insane with no adult interaction (or interaction with anyone who had a vocabulary of more than 12 words).
So why don't I have baby fever? Maybe it's because there are still a few challenges with raising children that are still fresh in my mind but I think it's because I feel a sense of peace and contentment. I look at the future and see our family of four and it just feels right.
I guess I do have baby fever in a sense though. Not for an 8 pound newborn but for a 2500 square foot house. I love the anticipation of pregnancy and watching the creation of something new. I'm expecting a new house.
The second child has been so easy compared to the first. I guess it's different for everyone and a lot depends on the child's personality but Little Girl has been a nice surprise after the challenges I overcame with Big Girl.
Not to say it hasn't been hard, especially the last five months of waking up at least twice in the middle of the night to rock and nurse back to sleep. She's a messy eater and a 19 pound chunk that has no interest in walking. Plus, I'm starting to question the wisdom of raising a baby in a two story split level house which will need, by my estimation, approximately six baby gates.
Maybe it's because I'm a seasoned parent or maybe it's a combination of many things, but this past year has been just a flicker on my timeline. Nursing was such a challenge the first time, and I honestly think it was both our stubborn personalities put together that helped us fight our way to what I determined was the "finish line". Sleep was insane. I think I could count on one hand the number of times Big Girl slept through the night that first year. And that's with a very liberal definition of sleeping through the night. I missed my life at work like crazy and many days thought I would go insane with no adult interaction (or interaction with anyone who had a vocabulary of more than 12 words).
So why don't I have baby fever? Maybe it's because there are still a few challenges with raising children that are still fresh in my mind but I think it's because I feel a sense of peace and contentment. I look at the future and see our family of four and it just feels right.
I guess I do have baby fever in a sense though. Not for an 8 pound newborn but for a 2500 square foot house. I love the anticipation of pregnancy and watching the creation of something new. I'm expecting a new house.
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| Original color of walls: yellow Joint compound: white patches Sample paint: various shades of brown Ultimate paint color choice: blue |
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| Please don't judge...not only am I repainting, this seems to have become a catch all spot for random junk. I guess the before and after will be really satisfying this way. |
Sunday, June 16, 2013
The best cookie I've ever eaten...
I made the walnut spice cookies on the back of the Bob's Red Mill Brown Rice flour initially for a play date that didn't happen. So we were forced to eat them ourselves. They were so incredible I made a repeat batch for Father's Day. My husband (our token male and also our token non-GFer around here) loved them and said they tasted like "regular cookies."
And my reaction? I think you can pretty much surmise...
http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=1923&print=true
Friday, June 14, 2013
New clothes?
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| Say what you want about me: I know what I like! |
I usually don't buy clothes for myself at places that don't contain one of the following words: thrift, resale, will, or salvation. I think the last time I actually purchased something at a "regular" store was during the Bush administration. Does it help if I specify that it was the younger Bush?
So tonight I began my great adventure. To explain the reason a cheapskate like me is shopping in a fancy schmancy store, here's the background: I have been looking for a maxi dress for quite awhile, but since the trend is still ongoing, I haven't had much luck at secondhand stores. Making my own was quite a failure too, and I will post about that later.
I had to calm myself down to walk into the first store. Whenever I would watch What Not to Wear, I never understood the anxiety. Let's just say I learned my lesson tonight. I kept hearing Stacy and Clinton in my head, nitpicking my choices.
"Those pants are a cute pattern but they make you look three feet tall."
"A thirty year old mother of two should not wear pink pants."
Actually, I'm not sure of the rule on age to pant color relationship but my overly critical inner voice advised me against it.
Oddly enough, while there was less selection than Goodwill, I found it way more overwhelming.
Ultimately, I spent 52 cents on my evening out (on a non-clothing item at--wait for it--Goodwill!) My wardrobe will remain boring for the time being but I remain optimistic.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
I smelled some bread the other day...
...and it made me a little nostalgic.
Disclaimer: This is a really mushy post without much riveting content.
Growing up, we used to drive down this certain street that was home to a bakery. We would always roll down our windows (anyone else miss those hand cranked windows of the late 80's? Yeah, me neither. Though they would have come in handy the time I was in college and the fuse or whatever that controlled my electric windows went out one day in July on the freeway and I also had no air conditioning so I had to get off at each exit ramp and fan myself with the door. This was the same car whose windshield wipers went out in a rainstorm so I drove with my head sticking out the window. Mom and Dad, I may have given you heart attacks every time I drove anywhere but on the bright side at least I found all the holes in the driver's ed course so you were better prepared to teach my younger siblings a few years later and include random worst case scenarios.)
Wow. Anyway, back on topic: We would always roll down our windows and smell the bread and beg my mom to stop at the outlet store. If you were under 10 you got a free treat and I always chose a snowball but ironically I never ate the chocolate cake.
I was thinking the other day how much bread is a part of my childhood memories. I remember summer nights eating ice cream cones and cookouts eating hamburgers sandwiched in buns. I remember my mom baking every single one of my birthday cakes. I remember baking muffins as part of my homeschool curriculum and selling them at my dad's work for some ridiculous amount that didn't even cover the cost of ingredients. I remember winning second prize in the state fair for my chocolate chip cookies.
When my kids look back, I wonder what they will remember. Their memories won't be of whole wheat blueberry muffins and snowballs and I sure hope they won't be of my rubbery pancakes and crumbly cookies. The food of their memories will be different but I hope it will bring back nostalgic feelings of love and security and family.
Disclaimer: This is a really mushy post without much riveting content.
Growing up, we used to drive down this certain street that was home to a bakery. We would always roll down our windows (anyone else miss those hand cranked windows of the late 80's? Yeah, me neither. Though they would have come in handy the time I was in college and the fuse or whatever that controlled my electric windows went out one day in July on the freeway and I also had no air conditioning so I had to get off at each exit ramp and fan myself with the door. This was the same car whose windshield wipers went out in a rainstorm so I drove with my head sticking out the window. Mom and Dad, I may have given you heart attacks every time I drove anywhere but on the bright side at least I found all the holes in the driver's ed course so you were better prepared to teach my younger siblings a few years later and include random worst case scenarios.)
Wow. Anyway, back on topic: We would always roll down our windows and smell the bread and beg my mom to stop at the outlet store. If you were under 10 you got a free treat and I always chose a snowball but ironically I never ate the chocolate cake.
I was thinking the other day how much bread is a part of my childhood memories. I remember summer nights eating ice cream cones and cookouts eating hamburgers sandwiched in buns. I remember my mom baking every single one of my birthday cakes. I remember baking muffins as part of my homeschool curriculum and selling them at my dad's work for some ridiculous amount that didn't even cover the cost of ingredients. I remember winning second prize in the state fair for my chocolate chip cookies.
When my kids look back, I wonder what they will remember. Their memories won't be of whole wheat blueberry muffins and snowballs and I sure hope they won't be of my rubbery pancakes and crumbly cookies. The food of their memories will be different but I hope it will bring back nostalgic feelings of love and security and family.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Books I read this month
In late April and May, I read a lot of thought provoking books (especially on our 12 hour each way car trip to visit my parents) but wanted to touch on one of them in particular. My non-fiction book was this one:
This book was a memoir more than a set of rules to emulate. The author went a little over a year forgoing all beauty and fashion related products and stuck to simple hygiene (her grooming routine was similar to that of her husband). Her goal was to find true beauty within.
A lot of this book resonated with me. If anything, it was justification for those days I can't bring myself to wear makeup or go beyond a ponytail. However, I think that a lot of her experiment didn't need to be done so exclusively. I find that when I'm feeling ugly inside, I need to rethink my priorities and attitudes, not necessarily give up nail polish. I think there is room in my life for both.
I thought this was an interesting experiment, just not one I'd necessarily want to try myself.
Warning: this book is blunt and there is some profanity which caught my attention. Still a good concept for a book.
I also read this book:
I really enjoyed the first of the Blossom Street series (The Shop on Blossom Street) because it's about a yarn shop and, well, let's just say I'm a little knitting obsessed. The characters were true to life and likeable. I won't review the above book in depth because there are some who haven't read it yet (hi, Mom!). It was good before bedtime reading material, though a little too reminiscent of the previous books in this series. Let's just say the first one will always remain my favorite.
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| Link to this book on Amazon |
This book was a memoir more than a set of rules to emulate. The author went a little over a year forgoing all beauty and fashion related products and stuck to simple hygiene (her grooming routine was similar to that of her husband). Her goal was to find true beauty within.
A lot of this book resonated with me. If anything, it was justification for those days I can't bring myself to wear makeup or go beyond a ponytail. However, I think that a lot of her experiment didn't need to be done so exclusively. I find that when I'm feeling ugly inside, I need to rethink my priorities and attitudes, not necessarily give up nail polish. I think there is room in my life for both.
I thought this was an interesting experiment, just not one I'd necessarily want to try myself.
Warning: this book is blunt and there is some profanity which caught my attention. Still a good concept for a book.
I also read this book:
 |
| Link to this book on Amazon |
I really enjoyed the first of the Blossom Street series (The Shop on Blossom Street) because it's about a yarn shop and, well, let's just say I'm a little knitting obsessed. The characters were true to life and likeable. I won't review the above book in depth because there are some who haven't read it yet (hi, Mom!). It was good before bedtime reading material, though a little too reminiscent of the previous books in this series. Let's just say the first one will always remain my favorite.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
A Tale of Three Baseboards
Or: Why it's a Good Thing I Really, Really Like Menards.
I've been to Menards a lot this week to buy baseboards. Last weekend I went with a sample piece of our previous, bright yellow baseboard and attempted to match it. After six aisles of baseboards, chair railing, and quarter round it all started to look alike. I bought the closest match I could find to the old stuff and brought it home.
That one was my fault. Turns out we needed 9/16ths instead of 7/16ths and I was a quarter inch off on the height as well. Close enough is not good enough.
So yesterday, I loaded the baseboards back in the van and trundled them back to Menards, this time armed with a SKU number and profile number. I found the aforementioned numbers on the shelf and proceeded to load five 12' lengths into my cart. Well, technically the Menards guy did this but I'll take all the credit I can get.
That one wasn't so much my fault. One of them was right and four of them had either been put in the wrong slot or the slot was mislabeled. Even though they were the right thickness they had a beveled edge instead of a rounded one. Of course, it WAS my fault for not checking each piece and just assuming they were all the same.
Which brought me to my third trip to Menards, roughly two hours after the second. After having a nice reviving lunch and determining that Little Girl was planning to boycott her afternoon nap as well as her morning nap, I loaded her up and the two of us made the familiar trip. This time, I figuratively followed the advice to "measure twice, cut once" and ended up with some lovely baseboards. I can't wait to get them painted and put down.
Although my husband just came and notified me "One of those pieces is pretty warped and I'm not sure we can use it."
It's good to keep a sense of humor sometimes.
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| My mission: Purchase five lengths of this. |
I've been to Menards a lot this week to buy baseboards. Last weekend I went with a sample piece of our previous, bright yellow baseboard and attempted to match it. After six aisles of baseboards, chair railing, and quarter round it all started to look alike. I bought the closest match I could find to the old stuff and brought it home.
That one was my fault. Turns out we needed 9/16ths instead of 7/16ths and I was a quarter inch off on the height as well. Close enough is not good enough.
So yesterday, I loaded the baseboards back in the van and trundled them back to Menards, this time armed with a SKU number and profile number. I found the aforementioned numbers on the shelf and proceeded to load five 12' lengths into my cart. Well, technically the Menards guy did this but I'll take all the credit I can get.
That one wasn't so much my fault. One of them was right and four of them had either been put in the wrong slot or the slot was mislabeled. Even though they were the right thickness they had a beveled edge instead of a rounded one. Of course, it WAS my fault for not checking each piece and just assuming they were all the same.
 |
| Which of these things is not like the other? |
Which brought me to my third trip to Menards, roughly two hours after the second. After having a nice reviving lunch and determining that Little Girl was planning to boycott her afternoon nap as well as her morning nap, I loaded her up and the two of us made the familiar trip. This time, I figuratively followed the advice to "measure twice, cut once" and ended up with some lovely baseboards. I can't wait to get them painted and put down.
Although my husband just came and notified me "One of those pieces is pretty warped and I'm not sure we can use it."
It's good to keep a sense of humor sometimes.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Saturday feature: Garage Sale Bargains
Garage sale season seemed to start late this year so I was more than ready to go today. I drove by four neighborhood sales within a quarter mile but I had to pick one.
Here's what I got for the (low, low) price of $9.95 (seriously, that was the total!)
I got:
--a package of clothespins (on my GS wishlist for awhile. I was so excited by these.)
--about 100 greeting/birthday/Christmas cards. Dear friends and family, while the cards I give out may be 95% off, be assured my Christmas and other holiday wishes are full value.
--a Thirty-one tote bag (techincally a Keep-it-Caddy according to the website)
--three Yankee candles in various scents
--a tiny Hershey mug that will probably hold toothpicks or matches
--tongs (have YOU ever tried to drain water from corn on the cob without them? Enough said.)
--queen fitted and flat sheet. Pillowcases were missing but I have a couple of sets my grandma embroidered that will mix and match.
--a changing pad cover.
--one other item that I can't picture because I think the recipient might read my blog and it's a new in package item that I plan to gift them.
I also got a lead to a lady who has tons of Dick and Jane fabric which I'm using for Little Girl's new decor. I found some online but the shipping killed me! I would love to find it locally.
Here's what I got for the (low, low) price of $9.95 (seriously, that was the total!)
I got:
--a package of clothespins (on my GS wishlist for awhile. I was so excited by these.)
--about 100 greeting/birthday/Christmas cards. Dear friends and family, while the cards I give out may be 95% off, be assured my Christmas and other holiday wishes are full value.
--a Thirty-one tote bag (techincally a Keep-it-Caddy according to the website)
--three Yankee candles in various scents
--a tiny Hershey mug that will probably hold toothpicks or matches
--tongs (have YOU ever tried to drain water from corn on the cob without them? Enough said.)
--queen fitted and flat sheet. Pillowcases were missing but I have a couple of sets my grandma embroidered that will mix and match.
--a changing pad cover.
--one other item that I can't picture because I think the recipient might read my blog and it's a new in package item that I plan to gift them.
I also got a lead to a lady who has tons of Dick and Jane fabric which I'm using for Little Girl's new decor. I found some online but the shipping killed me! I would love to find it locally.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Project updates: May
So good news first.
Remember this?
No? Maybe because I never showed it to anyone unless I had to. Well, I remember it well. I lived with it for well over a year. This is two walls in the same room (former home of the rust colored indoor/outdoor carpet). One is a weird mottled white and the other is orange with sponge painting and white residue (wallpaper? joint compound? No one knows for sure.)
Well, that bit of strangeness now looks like this:
It still needs baseboards and furniture, but it feels good to cross 95% of this room off my list. That little bumped out place in the first "after" picture was water damaged so that had to be replaced. And that door in the background of picture two was completely messed up. It was painted a bright yellow and was cracking at the insets. It took me a good four hours to restore it to a plain old white door.
I'm a little embarrassed that it took six months to get this far but that's what happens when you have two kids, one full time job, church stuff, car trouble, holidays, and other house repair issues cropping up. We have learned to work in spurts with a few weeks off in between to catch up on life.
More good news: The planting is about half done. I have done two of the four flower beds and semi-landscaped the hill (it's kind of a terrace, I guess?) I still have the one big flower bed in the back of the house and a little one behind the garage. I'm transplanting some hostas that overran one of the flower beds and finishing up with some bright colored annuals.
Okay, so the bad news and it's really not that bad. I didn't organize the medical records. At all. I took a handful of folders up to my bedroom one night and left them on my nightstand for a couple of days. After which I returned them to the file cabinet. This is why I go easy on myself when I set goals.
So June: finish the gardening stuff, organize the medical records, and start a new big project. Not sure what yet. Obviously I'm very concerned.
Oh, and I did read two books this month but I'll write about those in another post.
Remember this?
No? Maybe because I never showed it to anyone unless I had to. Well, I remember it well. I lived with it for well over a year. This is two walls in the same room (former home of the rust colored indoor/outdoor carpet). One is a weird mottled white and the other is orange with sponge painting and white residue (wallpaper? joint compound? No one knows for sure.)
Well, that bit of strangeness now looks like this:
It still needs baseboards and furniture, but it feels good to cross 95% of this room off my list. That little bumped out place in the first "after" picture was water damaged so that had to be replaced. And that door in the background of picture two was completely messed up. It was painted a bright yellow and was cracking at the insets. It took me a good four hours to restore it to a plain old white door.
I'm a little embarrassed that it took six months to get this far but that's what happens when you have two kids, one full time job, church stuff, car trouble, holidays, and other house repair issues cropping up. We have learned to work in spurts with a few weeks off in between to catch up on life.
More good news: The planting is about half done. I have done two of the four flower beds and semi-landscaped the hill (it's kind of a terrace, I guess?) I still have the one big flower bed in the back of the house and a little one behind the garage. I'm transplanting some hostas that overran one of the flower beds and finishing up with some bright colored annuals.
Okay, so the bad news and it's really not that bad. I didn't organize the medical records. At all. I took a handful of folders up to my bedroom one night and left them on my nightstand for a couple of days. After which I returned them to the file cabinet. This is why I go easy on myself when I set goals.
So June: finish the gardening stuff, organize the medical records, and start a new big project. Not sure what yet. Obviously I'm very concerned.
Oh, and I did read two books this month but I'll write about those in another post.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Honey, do we have any 5/16ths drill bits?
This has been the week of "finish up" projects. By the weekend I hope to have all the flowers planted and the majority of my yard landscaped (my big project for the month). Also, mental note to self to organize medical records.
In addition to my big projects, I've been focusing on finishing up those little projects that need just one more thing.
For example:
I got this dresser for $15 at a yard sale. It's a nice solid wood one. Unfortunately, it's so old that they don't make handles that fit it anymore.
This is why I wanted new handles:
If these were metal, they would be fine, albeit a little banged up. However, they were some weird plastic-y thing and some of them were warped.
So I bought knobs when Menards had some ridiculously low not-quite-free-but-almost rebate:
However, as so often happens, it was a straightforward project that went all wrong. First, the holes were too small (hence the above referenced phone call to my husband at work), then I drilled them too big, necessitating wood putty. Finally, I learned that I had five of one finish and one of a similar but different finish. So it's back to Menards I go. Fortunately I have errands in the area and I might be able to just do an even exchange rather than paying the $2.79 full price. Oh well, it beats paying $2.79 per knob I suppose. I'm just glad they still have them in stock.
In addition to my big projects, I've been focusing on finishing up those little projects that need just one more thing.
For example:
 |
| See my walls? This is on the short term to do list. I have the paint and everything. |
This is why I wanted new handles:
If these were metal, they would be fine, albeit a little banged up. However, they were some weird plastic-y thing and some of them were warped.
So I bought knobs when Menards had some ridiculously low not-quite-free-but-almost rebate:
However, as so often happens, it was a straightforward project that went all wrong. First, the holes were too small (hence the above referenced phone call to my husband at work), then I drilled them too big, necessitating wood putty. Finally, I learned that I had five of one finish and one of a similar but different finish. So it's back to Menards I go. Fortunately I have errands in the area and I might be able to just do an even exchange rather than paying the $2.79 full price. Oh well, it beats paying $2.79 per knob I suppose. I'm just glad they still have them in stock.
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