Martha MacGyver's Last Week Of 2011

Goodbye 2011 and Cheers to 2012!

I was fortunate to be able to take off the last week of 2011 and spend time at home doing things that have been on my to-do list since we moved here. Several pictures have finally made it to their final destination on the walls. Several junk areas have been cleaned up. Several boxes have finally been unpacked.  I am pleased with the changes.  It's beginning to not only feel like home, but look like home too.

Years and years ago, my buddy gave me the nickname of Martha MacGyver because of all my crafty creative projects.  It hadn't occurred to me at the time, but yea, the name fit.  To share some of my wonderful projects from my Christmas/New Year break, I share with you the following:

1) Based upon the inspiration from the lovely daughter (and her hat) of Mrs. Irritation, I improvised this owl hat.  I totally made up the pattern, and I HOPE to be able to replicate this.  So thankful for YouTube, because I had forgotten how to knit!

2) I saved an old picture frame from the donation pile and spray painted it glossy red. Thanks for the inspiration from Statia.  I hated the old frame (two colors of cheap looking wood); and am loving my new frame.  Now to find a picture to put in it...

3) I had no place to store/display the jewelry I've made. Since I moved, I have not worn much of my jewelry because I have not unpacked it.  <gasp>  I know, I know. I went thrifting in my own house and discovered a few picture frames my husband has had for probably the last decade or two. This one became my new jewelry holder! Inspiration came from Pinterest and/or Etsy, take your pick. It turned out perfectly for my needs.  Keep in mind, I am on the lookout for old drawer pull knobs to re-purpose along the bottom on the front and on the sides to hold bracelets and necklaces.  I'm not buying new knobs, that would just be silly!

Why yes, that is hardware cloth, thanks for asking.



4) This is my favorite one. Over thanksgiving, my parents visited.

     Me: "I need to buy a grapevine wreath, but I'd much rather make one."

     Dad: "You know, you have some wild grapevines growing in your woods."

     Me:  <Blink Blink>

     Dad: "Let's go pull some."

     Me: "Uuuhhhh, are they the kind with the curly-Qs?" (that's a technical term)

     Dad: "Yea."

So, we march right down there and I'll be hog-tied if there weren't wild grapevines growing right here. For FREE. So my dad went to work pulling a few long vines down from an overgrown area for me.  I had no clue they were wild grapevines (I didn't see any grapes!).  I dragged them up to our back deck. I got out the butchers twine (sorry to the hubs on that, but at least I used the OLD spool) and a pair of scissors. My mom helped me form the long vines into a large circle. She would hold the vines together and I would tie the string around it -or- I'd hold and she would tie. We got the large circle formed. She reminded me about how the professional ones are steamed into shape. I got bowls of hot water and poured over the wreath since it was still outside. Oh yea, it was rainy, so I left it in the rain for a day. Brought it inside to dry out for a month. Then I cut the ties and spray painted it glossy black. Found the perfect garland with sprays of clear crystals. I am very pleased with this grapevine wreath project as it surpassed my vision. See next item for picture.

5) Painted my hole! I expected a little more of a brown/warm color and not such an *exact* match to the grout (which if I had intended to match the grout, I would have chosen a different shade). But it has grown on me and now that I have it all put together, I love it!   This was the before picture.  Below is my finished project. It doesn't look ecclesiastical anymore!  I am no longer looking around my own living room for a sacrificial virgin or bride & groom!

I will be on the search for new curtains in black & white and possibly grey, with a splash of red.  Some kind of modern print.  And the brass fireplace set has to go, or be changed.  Shadow and Abbytail seem to like it:

6) This one was all Todd's. He hung the Arcade sign in the perfect spot!  You can't see the hardware, except for the angle at which I took this picture, of course.  This is a PERFECT fit and looks great when going down to the basement.  I'm so excited to have this puppy up in it's final spot on the wall.

I have a few more projects in the works, and a lot more swimming around in my head.  You'll have to stay tuned for more as I get them completed.  I don't make new years' resolutions, so I'm not going to wax poetically about all the great things I will accomplish or change next year.  I am thankful and excited just to have the day off from work.  I'll spend it making things a little more organized or crafty around here.

Happy 2012 to you!

Memories

It's kind of funny, the things you consider "normal" or a part of your every day life, and you probably don't even realize them.  And then once you make a major change, like move, your "norms" change.

We used to see on a regular basis, certain people walking the 'hood.  There was a really old nice man who would walk with a golf club.  He'd sit on the wall around our front tree for a rest.  In the summer when we were out doing yard work, we'd stop and chat.  He was a constant sight, and then we moved to NV.  We heard he passed away some time after we had moved.  We were sad.

It makes me think about what "norms" I have now, that I would miss if this weren't where we landed.  Well, I wouldn't have known what I was missing if I'd never been here, but that's despite the point.  Just makes me stop and think about the norms and appreciate them.  I'm not talking about traditions. 

On this Christmas Eve, traditions are a different thing entirely.  We are about to eat a scrumptious meal, open our one early present, and watch a couple of movies.

I leave you with this, a picture I took the last time we visited Kevin & Suzie.  He is another "norm" we would always see driving around Mission.  It made me happy to realize, he's still there.

To All A Merry Christmas!

It's officially the start of Christmas for me!  As of today, I am off work until January 3rd.  That fact makes me deliriously happy because I get to spend all this time at home, doing things I've been wanting to do since we got here.  The holes above the fireplace are now patched where the lazy butts didn't nail the dry wall nails in far enough.  So I'm all set to paint "the hole" tomorrow.

Today, I baked our beloved Spritz cookies (recipe at the end).  Tasty fun-shaped almond-flavored butter cookies that we HAVE to have for it to officially feel like Christmas.  We've found our DVDs for the weekend:  The Princess Bride, Monsters, Inc., The Polar Express, The Blues Brothers, and Beetlejuice.  Some of these aren't real "christmasy", but we still love 'em.  Might even throw in a little There's Something About Mary.  Can't go wrong with that line up.  So what about you?  What movies do you always want to watch around Christmas time?

I have to share this awesome picture.  The big dog 3 levels above me emailed this to our department, and it totally made my day yesterday.  Enjoy!

Spritz Cookies (and I *always* double the almond extract and you must use REAL butter):

      1 c  Butter                            3/4 t  Almond extract
    2/3 c  Sugar                               2 c  Sifted flour
      3    Egg yolks                     

  Cream butter. Add sugar gradually and cream thoroughly. Beat in egg yolks
  and almond extract (and coloring). Gradually blend in flour. Fill cookie
  press. Use ungreased cookies sheets. Cook 8-10 minutes at 375.
  Remove at once to cooling racks.

We are munching on green trees, blue snowflakes, and red ornaments.  Yum!

What Is The Right Pie:People Ratio?

I've often wondered, what is the right ratio to plan for pie to people?  For a party or holiday dinner, you want to have enough of every flavor for each person who may want a taste of any pie to have that taste.  You don't want to run out of the most popular pie flavor, and leftovers are certainly necessary.

So I ask you, what is your perfect pie to people ratio?  1 to 3?  2 to 5?  For Thanksgiving this year, I think we hit a great balance.  Maybe it was a LITTLE heavy on the pie part of the ratio.  Just a little.  We had a 3:4 ratio!!!

I baked a pecan pie, and my mother made a chocolate pudding pie (with just a touch of coffee that you couldn't really taste, it just brightened the chocolate flavor) and a pumpkin streusel pie (the UGLY one, but it was tasty; we all know ugly food = tasty food).  All of our pies were very yummy.  And the best part?  We had pie in the early afternoon BEFORE our big turkey day feast in the late afternoon!  Yes, I had my pie FIRST!

My buddy Tric reminded me that I had not shared pics of our pie buffet.  So here you go!

A Sign That I'm A Tightass

I cringe every time I open an electricity bill.  Some of us are light-turner-offers.  And then SOME (ahem) of us aren't.

I have NO problem paying for electricity to cool our house during the summer.  I don't care what it costs.  I can take off all my clothes, but if I can't get cool enough to sleep, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO???  I can't go take an ICE bath.  Life is going to be hell during menopause, my prediction.  I will pay whatever it costs to be cool in the summer.

In the winter?  Put a frickin' sweatshirt on.  Bundle up with a hoodie and a jacket.  Wear two pairs of socks with your slippers.  But don't make this place a sauna.  It isn't summer.  You're not supposed to be warm.

I just paid an extra $40 to heat AN EMPTY FRICKING HOUSE IN NEVADA, all because the old-buyers-who-aren't-buyers-anymore turned the heat up.  OH HOW I COULD RANT ON IN ADULT-RATED LANGUAGE!!!!!!!  I'll let you improvise on what I'm saying.

<end of rant>

Is Today Christmas?

I have been checking my personal email periodically because we have some personal drama going on that I don't really need to complain about here (see me being all positive?!?). It was 4:02 this afternoon. I believe that I finally know the excited, wonderful feeling that Mrs. Irritation & Mouse felt when they found each other after soooooooo many years. 

I got an email. Finally, after all these years. 19 years to be exact. It was from my old best friend in high school. She finally found me. I can't believe it. I've searched for her on FB occasionally, with no luck. I don't know why I didn't get a hit, but I just didn't. 

It turns out that she has been searching for me for years. And today was the day. With one email that said "Hello Old Friend..." I am taken back 19 years.

I know we are totally different people now than when we were in high school (who isn't?). She's the one person I remember with such fond memories. All the fun I had in high school was with her. She was beautiful, popular, and cool. I remember appreciating her sense of humor. I remember sitting next to her in drivers Ed, I think it was (and History--we had several classes together that one year). We hit it off. 

We went to Sr. Prom together.  I participated in senior skip-day thanks to her (sorry mom, I know you didn't need to know that).  We watched each other grow up in those later high school years when you really form who you are. I think the last time I saw her was at her wedding, 19 years ago. 

I didn't have time to call her tonight, but I will catch up with her voice this weekend. Will we still have things in common? Will we still like each other? Will she think I'm a quack when she reads this?!?  The anticipation of getting to know her again is so exciting. I never thought I'd have an old friend older than my college roommate, Justine.  I have always thought of her over the years, wondering what she did and how she was. 

I know myself--and I only have a few friends. I've never been popular or outgoing. I'm naturally a quiet, introverted individual (really!!!). I'm not the social butterfly type. But the few friends I have, I hold tight and treasure highly. I hope all of you have connected to that one long lost friend--or better yet, your friend was never lost.

What an amazing day.

More Leftovers Please

I know, I know, it's Christmas time already, would I just give the whole Thanksgiving holiday a rest already?  Nope.  Not as long as there is still turkey and pie left in my fridge. 

I want to share my favorite thing to do with all the leftovers!  My mom reminded me of what I did two years ago which I had completely forgotten I had done!  I can't remember exactly what I did, so I improvised with the idea this year.  Don't you hate it when you forget a wonderful recipe?  Or when your spouse makes something spectacular and doesn't write it down?!?!!

Here is the recipe for my favorite Leftover Thanksgiving Casserole:

Add one whisked egg to about 2.5 cups of mashed potatoes (give or take a cup).  Spread half of that over the bottom of a greased casserole dish.  Next, spread a thin layer of stuffing (preferably cornbread-sausage-craisin-pecan stuffing).  On top of that, spread a layer of turkey.  On top of that, drizzle a layer of gravy.  On top of that, spread the remaining potato-egg mixture.  At this point, you could freeze this for consumption at a later time.  Otherwise, you can refrigerate or cook this dish.

To cook, put the (thawed) casserole in a 350 oven for about 40 minutes, or until heated through.  I spread butter on the top for the last 10 minutes of cooking so the top would brown.  I served extra gravy on the side, oh yes, you know I did. 

I made this casserole after Thanksgiving dinner and cooked it last night.  Todd wasn't excited about it, until I served the plate of hot steaming goodness in front of him.  He ate a 2nd helping.  I forgot to take a picture of this beautiful casserole.  However, I will share with you pictures of our Thanksgiving meal.  You have to realize that I was not going for "pretty" or even decorated at this point.  We are still unpacking from our cross-country move.  The fact that we have plates, utensils, and all the food was prepared and on the table were my only goals.  I will go for "pretty" next year, including nice place mats and a centerpiece, bla bla bla.

Our table of goodness:

(Top to bottom: gravy and turkey, mini-buns, mashed potatoes,

cranberry relish, stuffing, scalloped corn, more gravy)

My plate:

Check back tomorrow for the monkey bread drama which arose this year.  Or pics of our pie buffet.  Not sure which I will write about tomorrow.

Monkey Bread 2011

And now for the unveiling of this year's Thanksgiving Monkey Bread. 


Drum roll please...

Before picture:

Thanksgiving morning after it had risen (and prior to the drama*):

And finally, the baked result
(notice there is kind of a "hole" towards the bottom*):

It was a good one this year, however my intent was to make half a batch.  I made ham-scrambled-eggs mid-morning, so I didn't want monkey bread to fill us up completely.  Little did I know that this "half batch" grew into a full batch.  So my stickiness was a little less than what I would have liked.  I love extra gooey-ness, and it just wasn't meant to be this year.  It was just barely gooey enough, which is still good.


*The drama with this year's monkey bread had to do with a furry little 4-legged yellow monkey.  Named Shadow.  Who has NO MANNERS.  And is learning the rules of the house by trial-and-error. 


On Thanksgiving morning, Shadow learned by error.  She thought the monkey bread looked irresistibly tasty.  Before it was baked, and sitting innocently on the cook top.  It was just sitting there, patiently waiting for the oven to heat up.  It was minding it's own bees-wax, when all of a sudden, Shadow reached up and took a bite. 


Fortunately my mom walked in right as the unspeakable event was occurring, and from her reaction, I knew immediately what had happened.  I ran to the kitchen like my pants were on fire and loudly reprimanded Shadow, and she was banished to the outside for the rest of the day.  Lucky it was unseasonably hot that day.  Little shit.  I pulled out all the buns around that "hole", and made the hole bigger, but at least I knew we wouldn't be eating after her.  That little shit.

Say Cheeeeseburger

Much to his demise, I insisted that Todd sit for a few minutes to endure the dreaded FAMILY PHOTO.  You would have thought that I had asked him to run a marathon or give up beer for a week, or something that requires tremendous self discipline.  I actually had to bitch up a storm for MINUTES to get him to consent.

I knew it was the perfect opportunity this weekend, because: a) we had someone here to take the photo, b) he had shaved and showered, and c) it was the time, if I have any hope of ordering cards in time to receive and address them, in order to get them in the mail prior to 12/24.  Plus, I actually won a contest (which so rarely happens) and will receive some free cards!  That was real incentive to get things done on time this year instead of at the last minute.

Every year, I expect the photo shoot to be a fun, delightful experience.  Why haven't I learned by now?  Taking a "family photo" includes our furry family members.  As big of a ham* as Keystone is, you'd think getting a smile out of him would be easy.  He was less than amused.  Abbytail is usually the sulking one, not interested in looking Happy. At. All.  But no, Abbytail was her happy little self, and Keystone was almost a disaster.  Todd actually looks happy, despite his protest.  I am happy to say that there is ONE picture that I can put on the front of our cards this year.  To be revealed later...

Now, for your amusement, this is what we really looked like:

 *Keystone IS a big ham, but not as BIG of a HAM as his brother / my god-dog-son Baxter!  Baxter is the biggest, beloved picture-whore ever.  He really could be a dog model.

Happy Thanksgiving & 1 Year For Me

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

It was 1 year ago that I decided to jump into the blogWorld with my very first post.  I have enjoyed the past year.  I think back to that Thanksgiving and how things have changed; and for the better for us.  The past year has been rough, but thankfully (tee hee) it's behind us and we are both happier these days.  The move cross country was stressful, but so worth it.


Why do I love Thanksgiving?


1.  A very special meal with new experiments & lifelong traditions:

• Dried corn is an old tradition in Todd's family
• Cold Duck is a retired tradition -- Todd used to have a sip of this with Thanksgiving dinner throughout his childhood
• Cornbread sausage stuffing with craisins and pecans (when my parents are here)
• Brine turkey which Todd has perfected (sooooooo moist) and his gravy (soooooo good)
• Monkey Bread for breakfast!  This is a tradition I established years ago -- today's monkey bread blog coming soon
• Todd has added homemade buns to our feast
• Things I can't even remember at the moment...

2.  It's like Christmas only better without the stress of:

• Finding the right gifts.
• Buying the gifts.
• Wrapping the gifts.
• Sending/delivering the gifts.
• Plus?  We have more of everything than we could possibly ever need so why not just anticipate a celebratory feast...

3.  Family:

My mom (in blue) and her sisters and brothers

Hope your Thanksgiving is a happy one!

Almost Here

Can you feel it?  It's almost here.  The best holiday of all!  Thankgiving is JUST around the corner.

We have our turkey.  We are frantically cleaning.  Well not really, but trying to make some of the rooms presentable for my parents.  I am so excited about Thanksgiving!  It's the start of the holiday season.  The mad rush to buy, spend, wrap, etc. hasn't started yet.  It's the somewhat relaxing holiday, if you can call cooking for 2 days to devour in 30 minutes, relaxing.  It's the anticipation leading up to a very special meal with foods that I absolutely love.  It's being in the kitchen together and pulling off a fantastic feast as a team.

It's truly my favorite holiday of all.  Fingers crossed that the oven keeps working.

What Would You Do?

I need your help!  I am in the midst of a dilemma.

There is a very important room in my house that has me completely stumped.  I look around and I have NO CLUE how to begin decorating it.  When I walk into our long, large living room, the focal point at the end of the room is the fireplace.  Then my eye is drawn up to the blank white pentagon above it, and feel the strong urge to begin praying, or look around for a bride and groom about to get hitched.

OK, it's not that bad.  When we first looked at the house, this was one of the very few things in the negative column and I HATED this feature.  I have now grown to accept it.  I don't love it, but I no longer hate it.  This area has me completely uninspired as to how I can work with what I have.  I don't like painted brick, so that's not an option (makes me want to fleck off the paint to see what it used to look like even though in this situation, I would know).

Here is my challenging mantle/fireplace area (the brick is tones of red and not orange even though you might think there could be orange tones in this picture):

Please ignore the white-trash antennae and cords.  You get the general idea.  Until I have a plan for this area, my hubby can do whatever he wants to make the TV work.

I believe I should paint the middle area some kind of color.  The walls in the entire room are the same almost-white with a tiny bit of a tan tint to it.  I don't dislike the color, but it does nothing for me.  And the pentagon area in the middle needs to have some color so that it detracts from the bricks going up the sides into a point that reminds me of a church alter.  There will be no sacrificial services happening here, and no sermons.

I do love the fireplace itself.  Our gold fireplace tools have to go, as they are the only gold-anything in the house.  But in looking at the area, how would you decorate it?  What colors would you use?  Would you look for a portrait-print or picture or go with a mirror and if so what color of frame?  I put the curtains up, but am not in love with how they look here.  Sheer red, mustard yellow, olive green and white vertical stripes, but you mostly see the red.  I don't care for the curtain finials.  I look at this area and think... meh.

What would you do with this area?  Help me!  I need your ideas for inspiration.  I want to AT LEAST like this area.  I want to feel like I'm at home, and not at church.

One Person's Trash

When we moved in, we had a fancy shmancy DishDrawer dishwasher with 2 drawers instead of one big cavity.  It was made by Fisher & Paykel, some high-end New Zealand/Australian company.  You may have read my previous post about this dishwasher.

As of yesterday, I have $100 burning a hole in my pocket!  But wait, maybe I made a mistake.  Maybe I should have kept it and had it installed properly... maybe I would have loved it like those who know of this brand tout it's fine reputation.  Maybe I would have an amazing appreciation for this wonderful technology.  The lady who bought it used to sell these things for a living and told me all about how great they are.  Apparently one of her appliances from this manufacturer has a total of only 76 parts (including screws).  You can take it apart and put it back together again.  Personally, I think Lego's sound like more fun, but anyhoo, apparently if you live in the bush you could actually fix your own machine since this is such an efficient design.

I find it pretty humorous that we are both deliriously happy with the outcome.  We have more space in our garage and money in our pocket; and they have a new-to-them dishwasher that doesn't clean as well as my dogs' tongues.  I'm so glad it found a home, because I don't know how long it would have lasted before we took it to donation, or worse, trashed it. 

Speaking of things that are worth so little you may even consider throwing them away, today was Big Trash Pickup Day in our old hood.  When we stopped by Kevin & Suzie's place yesterday, there was a house just up the street that had a huge pile of "junk" ready for the trash guys.  When I say "Big Trash Pickup", you folks in the West may not understand exactly what we mean here in the Midwest.  We mean, you can put ANYTHING you want at the curb, AND THEY TAKE IT AWAY FOR YOU.  Ok, you can't put hazardous materials like paint, motor oil, or car batteries at the curb.  But if you had an old couch?  That's fine.  An old sink, a desk, a grill?  Fine.  A perfectly good fireplace insert someone decided they didn't want to use?  They'll take it.  They come TO your curb and pick it up for you; and they do this ONCE a MONTH.  Imagine that... in this huge pile of "junk", there was a rocking chair.  A wooden rocking chair.  Just like the two we just bought.  Exactly the same finish.  And is now sitting on my front porch.

One person's trash is truly another person's treasure.

Speaking Of Gardens

As an experiment about a month ago, I planted broccoli, 2 kinds of lettuce, carrots, 2 kinds of radishes, and a couple of other things.  These are cold crops.  I'm very late in getting the seeds planted, but hey, it's an experiment.  Fast forward a month and...

We have BABIES!!!  I have little green sprouts.  The broccoli and both kinds of radishes sprouted.  I think I see carrots too.  Who knows if they will survive the "cold" we get tonight, but I think they will be just fine.  If we can craft some kind of cold frame before it gets super cold, we'll be chowing down on the rabbit food in a few months.  Maybe before Christmas?!?!!

And if it all dies, at least I tried.  I'll just call it "practice" for this early spring.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, y'all! Since we moved to the country, this is the single day of the year that I regret not living in the city. We had NO trick-or-treaters. I used to love seeing all the little clowns, witches, super-heroes and monsters. It was so fun with the dogs barking at the doorbell, and running to the door to behold the array of costumes. No ding-dong this year.

Sigh. The next year that Halloween falls on a weekend, I'm going to Kevin & Suzie's to hand out candy so they can take their girls trick-or-treating together. I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2014!!! No fair.

Here are my favorite pics from years ago, enjoy.

Abby & Keystone 2009:



Amber 2003:

T 2001:

T 2000:

Saved the best for last.

T&T 1997:

It's Pumpkin Time

We went to a pumpkin patch last Sunday on my birthday.  I think I may have gone to one over 20 years ago but never did the hayride.  And because I don't really remember it, it doesn't count.  I wanted to experience the pumpkin patch with Kevin & Suzie & their girls.  Since it was my birthday, Todd couldn't say no! 

They had many animals to visit since it was a working farm.  We saw a yellow lab puppy (chewing the front porch), a couple of pigs, geese, roosters, chickens, and who knows how many goats, donkeys and horses.  The most odd fowl we saw was a chicken (or maybe it was a rooster) with feathers on it's feet.  I don't know what I was thinking not taking a picture.  It was SO WEIRD to see a poof of feathers down like where you'd think of it's ankle.  I will have to do some research on that oddity.

Todd appreciating his favorite meat

(and Suzie starting early with the lesson of "never listen to Uncle Todd"):

We rode on the trailer full of hay bails out to the pumpkins:

It would have been way more impressive if there had been boat loads of pumpkins.  Should have gone earlier, but it was fun!  Next year, maybe we will do a corn maze.  The idea sounds intriguing.  I can just hear it now "Marco"...

Many of you probably already know this little trick, but I just learned about this.  Pumpkins rot from the outside to the inside.  So when you get your pumpkin, wash it in a sink full of water with two caps of bleach.  That will kill any bacteria on the outside.  Be sure to wash the entire stem and let it dry in the sun.  This will keep your pumpkins lasting longer!  All of mine still look like I just got them.

I leave you with this parting pic of one completely sweet baby:

And one cute cowgirl (LOVE those boots):

Serendipity?

I haven't had a massage in almost 4 months.  That is like half of a lifetime in dog years!   I wear my stress at the tops of my shoulders in big knots.  It was getting to the point where I hurt, all day every day.  And that was making me very grumpy.   There isn't a Massage Envy here in this little town, or an Ahhhh Massage.  Where am I supposed to go?   Drive 45 minutes to Zonarosa to the closest Massage Envy?  Surely there was a better solution.  I turned on my GPS, and searched on the word "massage".  I half way grimaced as I pressed the Go button, not knowing what would come up in the results.  Thank goodness there wasn't an oriental happy-ending place that showed up on the list.

There were several options that showed up.  Two pages worth, surely there was something decent!  I looked through them all and checked some of them out on Yelp.  OK, I was over analyzing the situation.  I decided to just try the closest one to home, and hope that it wasn't being run out of someones basement.   Angie's Salon, it was.  Besides, I hurt so bad, I know I wouldn't walk out feeling worse than I walked in.  I called last Friday and ask if they do massage.  Yep.  I asked if there was an opening on Saturday.  There was only one opening.   2:00 was mine.  At least it was a good sign that there was only one last minute opening.  Let me also explain that the closest part of town is the poorest part there is.  Read that sentence again, and you'll understand how apprehensive I was.

I expected a little "blue hair" place smelling of rotten eggs (perms) and lace curtains.  Think: Steel Magnolias.  Maybe there was a hunk of plywood on saw-horses in the back they used for massages, and if I was lucky, maybe it would be covered with a towel.

I walked in apprehensively, expecting to be disappointed and I was in for a huge surprise.  Wow, was I ever shocked to walk in and find a modern spa.  When I opened the door, I saw Redken hair products so that was a great sign.  The place is huge on the inside, and modern!  There was a separate spa pedicure area with a sort of tranquility area.  There were rows of hair cutting stations with tons of space between each station.  Immediately, my spirits lifted at the thought that this could actually be a good experience!  Erin was wonderful and my massage was great.  I walked out without pain, totally relaxed, and I swear I was 2 inches taller!  Did I mention the pain-free part?!?

I actually went there again tonight for a pedicure.  I haven't had a pedicure since I went with Tric in Sparks--it had been that long.  I've trimmed my own toenails twice since then <shudder>.  I had a very good pedicure.  I can't say that it was the absolute best I've ever had, but it was one good pedicure and I will go back again.  As a matter of fact, I'm going on Saturday for a hot stone massage with Erin, to keep my wicked shoulders in check.  And I'm going to try something I've never done before--ear candling. 

Can you imagine?!?!!?  I'm a waxy ear girl.  I know that is TMI for many of you, but hey, it HAPPENS!  It's natural.  I'm just too natural.  So I have to use ear wax removal drops to try to keep it in balance.  Well, it's a pain to remember to do it and most importantly it makes me dizzy, so I don't like using the drops.  So on Saturday after my hot stone massage, my earwax will be in better balance.  If you're interested, I can let you know what it's like.

What a happy surprise.  I found this GEM of a little spa in this little town, and it's only FOUR miles away!  I am thrilled and had no idea it was even possible.  What a great find.  They will definitely get to know me as a regular.  I might even <gasp> let them... cut my HAIR!

The Fam

I promised that I would post pictures of our new furry family members--here they are, finally.

This is Shadow (AKA Chateau), a strong-willed, independent, bull-headed, huntress of any rodent-type of creature on our land.  She refused to live anywhere else, and demanded that we accept her.  Darn good thing she's cute.  Cause we caved.  Who wouldn't love this wonderful, intelligent, good-looking and endearing dog?!?

She has never had it so good.  Love, toys, treats, dog beds, food, and a nice warm place to sleep every night.  She's got it made!

Her "sister" has been missing her like crazy lately, so Nyla has been staying over every once in awhile when the doors are open and she walks right in.  Or rather, we can't get her to leave to go back to her new home.  She simply refuses to move at times.  She is a very affectionate boxer, so full of desire to be accepted and loved.  So we love enjoying her impromptu visits.  Here is Nyla, feeling right at home:

Here is a recent picture of Abbytail:

And a goofy picture of Keystone:

This is what our living room often looks like:

And here is my favorite room, the kitchen.  I put the finishing touches up yesterday with the old glass jars on top of the cabinets with rope lights.  It's hard to see in this picture, but the uplighting is pretty cool at night.  Half of my jars are empty and I need to find dried food to fill them, but I'll get to it soon.  The cabinets above our fridge do not have a plug in, so I don't have lights up there, yet.

So there you have it, that's our family and a picture of the house.  The only room I find acceptable yet to post a picture.  I'll share my day today soon, my birthday included a trip to the pumpkin patch.  Something I don't remember if I ever really did in the past.  I think I visited a patch once, but it was just a pile of pumpkins, and nothing really exciting that I remember.  Today was a good trip and a good visit with friends--it was a good birthday!

Squash, The Perfect Fall Food

At last Saturday night's party, there were some really tasty dishes served.  My favorite appetizer was a toasted flat bread with caramelized onions, cheese, and basil.  Becky offered the personal choice of Parmesan, goat, or blue cheese. 

The onions were really amazing, and here is a picture of the goat cheese option:

Suzie must have said something hilariously funny, or I was really enjoying my Whipped Cream Vodka & grape soda: 

By far the highlight of the show was this wonderfully tasty course, which I actually made for dinner last night, it was that good.  If you like butternut squash, I recommend this dish:

Here is the recipe.

Ravioli w/Pesto, Squash & Sage:

12 oz. large cheese ravioli
1 cup butternut squash (1/2 inch cubes)
1/4 cup pesto sauce
1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces
16 sage leaves (julienne cut)
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

If your nuts aren't toasted, put the walnuts in the oven on broil, for about 3-4 minutes and be very careful not to forget them. If you can smell the toasty-ness, they are done-approaching-burned. You can also microwave them for 30 seconds at a time, but also be very careful.  It's easy to over-toast nuts.

Parboil the squash in salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes.  Save boiling water for cooking ravioli's.

In nonstick skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat.  Add squash, salt & pepper.  Cook and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes (or until it looks nice and light toasty brown).  Meanwhile, get your ravioli's cooking in the boiling water (use directions on package).  Toss the squash with the pesto in your serving bowl (keep in the warm oven).

Add another Tbsp of olive oil to the medium heat skillet, and cook the sage leaves until crisp (less than a minute).

Toss the squash, pesto sauce (pre-warming this is a good idea), raviolis, walnuts, and sage leaves.  Sprinkle with Parmesan, and Viola!  You've got the perfect fall dish. 

You could save a step and cook the sage in the last minute of cooking the squash, but it wont be as crispy.

It was hard to keep everything warm, but it helped to keep my covered serving dish in the warm oven (from toasting my nuts) and add stuff as I had it ready, then toss it all together.  Todd wasn't crazy about it, but he's not into meatless dishes or butternut squash.  He put a couple of pieces of bacon on his.  He will make up for the lack of meat last night with the slab of ribs we have seasoned up for tonight.  Super YEA for Rrrrrrrrrribs!!!

Tomorrow, I promise I'll upload pics of the new furry family members.  This place is a zoo!

It's Just One Big Party

We've got some dear friends in the KC area, and we get to eat & drink with 4 of our dearest tonight!  Ray & Becky cook up a storm when we go to their place.  After we moved to Nevada, we really missed getting together with them Saturday nights at their place or ours and cooking & eatingdrinking with a little drinkingeating.  The cooks usually end up snockered before the food is served, but what do you expect when it takes that long to fix a table full of unbelievably yummy food?

Also, Kevin & Suzie get to be there and Suzie had a big birthday yesterday!  WAHOO for birthday weekends!!!  I can't wait to hear how her birthday surprise happy hour went.  I wish we could have been there, and I hope she had the best birthday.  Can't wait to catch up with them all.

In other news, Shadow, also known as Chateau after a few cocktails, has blended nicely into the family.  Our goldies are not exactly sharing a plate-licking with her, but they tolerate her just fine.  She seems very thankful to be part of the fam.

We have kind of a fourth doggy-visitor.  Nyla is a very friendly boxer.  I have never known a boxer and am amazed at her wonderful personality and desire for affection.  She likes to kiss all over the face of every other dog.  Abby can't really stand it, but Keystone doesn't seem to mind.  I think it's her way of saying, "Hi, You're CUTE!" in a friendly and expressive way.  We let her into the house in the evenings to chill out for just a little while to hang with us.  So she's like a niece to our kids.

And then there's Bo.  He is a tall, dark, lanky and extremely cautious boxer.  He is often found sitting in the field just staring.  At what, who knows?  He must have had traumatic experiences with people as a baby, because he is extremely skittish.  But as he has become familiar with us, he is getting closer and closer.  He has a crush on Shadow.  I think because we are taking good care of Shadow, he sees how happy we make her, and that makes him start to trust us.

In the morning, everyone goes out to potty, and they all race back in for a treat.  Whoever happens to be hanging around gets one.  Since Todd bought gargantuan sized dog bones, they get to eat them outside.  One day last week Bo was there.  He looked very interested in the treats but I could tell he felt conflicted.  How close should he get?!?  I must have looked fairly evil.  He got to within 15 feet of me, so I tossed him one.  He took it and hopped off a little ways and ate his new found prize.  TODAY?  I got to hand him his bone.  For a split second, I was connected to Bo by his treat.  THAT's progress.  He was really just over to say good morning to his little girlfriend, Chateau, and he got to see me too.

Bitchy Post Warning

I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE mortgage companies.  It's all attributable to one reason.  They are unpredictable.  If they were *consistent* in ANY WAY WHATSOEVER, this blog post wouldn't be happening.  I am TIRED of them jacking us around.  Oh, we want this, oh no, that person dropped the ball so, here's another person to deal with.  And oh, since WE missed OUR deadline for responding because we are SOOOOOOO busy, here's another form for YOU to sign.  So that it looks like we did our job on time.  BUT THEY DID NOT DO THEIR JOB ON TIME.  They aren't even DOING IT.

I hate, loathe, and despise those unpredictably horrible bastards with a deep rooted passion to rival all others.

And the worst part?  I'm completely powerless.  Absolutely nothing I can do.  I can't wait for the day I can stop feeling this emotion.  It really isn't good.  Oh, but then who knows when THAT day will come.  It's not like I'm going through a PREDICTABLE process.  Fuckers.

Only Missing A Few People

The things I miss about Nevada, in no particular order:











....crickets chirping....















Ok, there are a COUPLE of things I actually do miss.  Errr, rather, people.  Who/what I miss:

Tric (my B&B bud, the best friendship I made that will persevere through a cross-country move)
Amy (worlds BEST mail carrier and overall generally awesome person)
Camping trips with George & Sue (they introduced different parts of CA to us and our dogs loved the hikes)
Friday nights with Greg = perfect trade off, we cook & he fixes a pinball machine!
Mountain biking with Ayla (never would have survived my lay-off without these therapy sessions)
Driving around a town with mountain ranges around the perimeter (but who really needs it?!?)
Cactus Creek prime rib, seafood dishes, and pomegranate martinis (we can imitate at home)
No ticks, fleas, chiggers, poison ivy, or bugs in general (probably because life was not meant to thrive or even struggle there...)
Eboni at Massage Envy  (OMG do my shoulders miss that woman!)
How dog-friendly the West is...  I could take my dogs to Home Depot, and it was not a STRANGE occurrence.  You could take your furry canine companion to any store that didn't sell food.  Imagine that in the Midwest, HA!

Some notable mentions that we enjoyed:
Jim Boy's Mexican food -- first place I ever ate at on my first trip there.  (I admit it, I miss Del Taco and El Pollo Loco too.)
Albeta's Mexican food -- best crispy tacos in town.
Black Rock Pizza -- the first restaurant we ever ate at on our first trip there together.
The Lakeside Grill -- breakfast tostada and egg's Benedict.

Sadly this is a pretty short list, but I am sure I am forgetting important stuff.  Just wanted to document this stuff here so I can look back and remember the good stuff.  For all of 4.5 years, the list should be longer, but at least it's high in quality.

Loving The Farm Life

We may have almost every room in the house to unpack except the kitchen, but we have been enjoying our life in the country. We are climbing over boxes in our bedroom, bathrooms and offices, but that hasn't slowed down the planning of the garden! We are thrilled to be back in the land where they sell cotton hull compost. We are trying to control the size of our garden. It doesn't need to be humongous the first year. But we do need room for plenty of tom's, tomatillos, peppers of all kinds, pumpkins, and CORN! I really want a few rows of corn. And gourds. The kind that look cool dried and possibly painted.

As for wildlife around our farm, Todd or I have seen or heard:
Frogs
Toads
Cicadas
The tail of a red fox
Crawdads (itty bitty teeny tiny!)
Barn swallows
Dragon flies
Super huge walking sticks (on steroids, these thing are huge)
Owls
Possum
Moles
Hummingbird
Squirrels
(snakes)
Earthworms! Oh how I have missed them!
LOTS of dogs


We have taken plenty of time to have fun. We've had a few friends over. We've gone to the closing pool party for the last volleyball game of the season in the old hood. We went out to celebrate Mitch's birthday. We've been to the local farmers market. There was a pinball competition where we made a special appearance. We have had Oklahoma Joe's Z-man sandwiches, and Sheridan's custard. We had a real home warming dinner last night--super yummy prime rib, the last one until Christmas day. It already feels like home and we are barely settled in! We are dreaming of landscaping designs and future changes we want to make around our home and property.

We haven't planned out exactly where the chicken coop is going to go, but we have time before next spring. I HAVE been thinking of chicky names. How about you? What suggested names do you have for some of my future chickens?!?

Oh LOOK, There's A Moving Truck!

Today feels like Groundhog Day. Dogs barked all night. I got up several times to tell them to shut up. I'm such a spoiler. They had something really COOL, up in a TREE for crying out loud! One does not have to wonder for long why we have no stray cats around this farm. One neat thing though, I heard an owl hooting several times. And it sounded like it was right up THERE. I can't really be mad at the dogs for long, it's their nature, and this place is the ultimate playground for hunting dogs. I'd love to see a yippee barky dog try to last in THIS hood! Ha. Not really.

Woke up early, cause the movers would be here about 8. Possibly as late as 10am, but we knew they would be closer to 8-something. And I knew the flipping idiots wouldn't COMMUNICATE to the driver that they can't possibly drive a semi onto our driveway for two reasons. 1. Stinking cable Internet company hasn't raised the line tall enough for practically our lawn mower to pass under (only slightly sarcastic--Todd can reach up and touch it in one spot), and 2. The corner is to sharp for a semi to make the turn. Now, we warned them. Todd called our contact last week to make sure the truck was on the way, and most importantly that the driver knows they have to have a smaller truck to offload stuff onto to get it to the house. You think this helped the situation that Todd proactively called? Nope. The poor driver had no clue. They have a serious issue with lack of communication to their drivers, and I can't wait to get THAT survey. Have you ever heard of Process Improvement?!? The root cause of their communication issues are costing customers THOUSANDS of dollars. I would LOVE to do a study and quantify what a few improvements could save them. But why bother with common sense. It's really not very common, anyway.

Currently, the movers are getting another truck. I am trying to make just one room "put together", so that I don't feel like everything is still chaotic. In good news, we have the kitchen entirely unpacked! It may be all over the countertops, but there are no cardboard boxes in the kitchen. That's progress. We will be hanging our new shampoo dispenser, my 12th anniversary present, soon. We tried a new restaurant last night to celebrate our 12 year mark. I feel bad that I didn't get Todd anything fun, but can't think of anything good at the moment. Maybe we will go dishwasher shopping. Cause that damn thing has just got to GO! I have to reflect that we are probably both happier now than we've ever been, and after 12 years, that is really something.

I wish that I could say that at the end of today, our Great Migration Back To The Midwest would be over. But Todd still has to go get his storage unit stuff. At least none of that goes on the main floor, and for that I am grateful.

Forgive any typos for lack of a spellchecker. Really Apple?!?!!

And The Answer Is...

I recently asked a Trivia Question.  And the answer is...


My DISH-WASHING DRAWER!!!!  So Mrs. Irritation, it was in the kitchen, and it did relate to water.

I am NOT a fan of a "dishwasher drawer".  It's the "special" kind where you basically have 2 dishwashers in the space of one.  Do you know what that means?  Neither are big enough for even a small cookie sheet, so that means hand washing way too many things.  WTH is up with that?  Plus, the bottom of each drawer collects a serious amount of water that just sits there growing calcium deposits and mold.  It was the most disgusting thing I have ever cleaned.  Except that one time Roscoe got sick all over the living room, but he couldn't help it.  This whole dishwasher fiasco COULD HAVE BEEN HELPED had the previous homeowners ever cleaned the dang thing.  The stalactite calcium deposits, or whatever they were on the bottom of the metal plate at the bottom of the drawer, were so old, disgusting, and prevalent, that THEY WIGGLED.  Todd had to take the metal plate outside and pressure wash it.  Then I got to continue scrubbing.  This took 3 hours, 10 rubber gloves, 12 toothpicks, 1.5 rolls of paper towels, and one GALLON of vinegar to clean.  I only did the bigger drawer.  I have not cleaned the smaller one and I refuse to use it.  Disgusting.  I did the dishwasher-buildup-cleaner you can buy at home improvements stores today.  Had one of these been used each YEAR over the past SEVERAL years, it may have been a worthy cause.

On my list of things to buy... a normal dishwasher.  These drawers can go back to Australia.  I could kick whoever thought of this BRILLIANT idea.  They obviously eat out.