tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37176167112236905772024-03-05T16:54:08.772-05:00I'm boring.Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.comBlogger279125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-86120077796797846422015-06-27T19:04:00.000-04:002015-06-27T19:04:00.066-04:00Random post #1<br />
So here's the plan. I'm going to do a few random incoherent posts. I figure if I'm not aiming for coherency then maybe I'll actually post something. We'll see how this goes.<br />
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This is a sewing project I did.<br />
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I decided I needed a new wallet. I'm told this is really more of a clutch but I'm sticking with calling it a wallet.<br />
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I went to the fabric store with the intention of buying 1-2 yards of fabric. I figured I'd need maybe a half a yard and I assumed I'd screw it up and redo it at least once. <br />
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So I went to Budlee, which I'd heard has very good prices. After rummaging around for a while I settled on this fabric. It's black on one side and blue on the other with a small grid pattern of the opposite color. When I went to pay, it was $1/yard so I decided to get 5. The guy was very liberal in his measuring so I really ended up with more like 7 yards for $5 so I was pretty happy with that. <br />
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Then I had to actually make it. I'd seen <a href="http://so-sew-easy.com/sewing-video-for-the-swoon-della-wallet-pattern/">this video tutorial</a> but I didn't love the layout of the card holder part of it. <br />
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So I decided to make my own pattern. I use the word pattern very liberally. <br />
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Random scribbles is really a more accurate description. But they were good enough.<br />
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And if for some reason you thought you want to read my scribbles, I didn't actually follow them.<br />
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I made a first one but it had issues. I made a list of stuff to fix and made it again. And actually fixed about half of the things on my list.<br />
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One side with the carry strip.<br />
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Other side with the slider for clasp.<br />
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Some pictures of the inside. <br />
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There's the card holder slots. The first version didn't quite hold them well enough. I made the slots slightly narrower and also 1/4" deeper per slot. I took the fabric width and just made as many slots as I could with it.<br />
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There are pockets behind the card holders. One is for cash, the other is for random crap. <br />
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On the outside you can see zippers. One is for my phone. The other is for more random crap. The first version, I stitched too close to one of the zippers and it didn't open and close properly. This one at least I can open the pockets. I meant to put the zippers the other way but I'm OK with them where they are.<br />
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Other stuff</div>
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<li>Construction on this one is definitely improved over the 1st version. I am not in love with it but I think it's good enough that I don't feel the need to do it again.</li>
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<li>This time I got the fabric fairly well squared up. The grid i a little under 1/4" squares so it shows when the seams aren't straight. Not perfect but a lot better than the last version</li>
<li>I don't love the way the inside looks wrinkly. On the 1st version I only interfaced the outside but the inside was really soft and floppy. It's better but the wrinkliness is not great.</li>
<li>On the first version I trimmed the seam allowances. On this one I did not. The seam allowances give it a bit more rigidity but it also makes it pretty thick. I'm not sure I love the thickness. I keep pressing trying to make it thinner but I don't think I'm winning.</li>
<li>The zippers open and close yay</li>
<li>I meant to make a loop that I could hook my keys on. Both times I have forgotten about it. I give up.</li>
<li>The stitching at the ends of the closure strap is not great. On the 1st version they were pretty terrible, all wonky like a 5 year old did it. At least I got the lines straight but I decided to curve the ends of the strap, which I kinda failed at sewing.</li>
<li>I meant to topstitch a box with an X to reinforce the carry strap but I forgot to do it. Both times.</li>
<li>All the card slots plus the interfacing on the inner and outer layers plus the zippers makes for a super thick thing to sew through. At times my presser foot was all the way up and still struggling to feed it.</li>
<li>I have so much thread and bits of fabric all over the place. This is a woven so with each cut, I ended up with bits of stuff coming off. And I was too lazy to clean it until after. Much of the lint is inside the bag.</li>
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<li>Any thoughts on what to make with the like 6 yards I have left?</li>
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OK that's all I have to say about that. What should my next random post be?</div>
Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-71881417189518004082015-06-21T09:37:00.001-04:002015-06-21T09:40:08.614-04:00Hi*tap tap tap*<br />
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*cough*<br />
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*uncomfortable silence*<br />
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um.<br />
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Hi.<br />
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um.<br />
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I may be back.<br />
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*more uncomfortable silence*<br />
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I thought about starting a new blog because I'm thinking it'll be different than before. <br />
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But then I couldn't think of a good name that wasn't already taken. <br />
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Not to mention I'm not actually sure what it is I'm going to write about yet.<br />
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You're weird for reading this blog that hasn't been updated in over a year. And even before that, maybe a half a dozen posts in the last like 5 years. You should probably clean up your feedly subscriptions or whatever it is you're using.<br />
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OK so what is it that I'm going to write about. </div>
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I can't say I know what that is right now.</div>
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Option 1: Food and crafty stuff</div>
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Option 2: Random rants, more like a journal.</div>
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Option 3: Anything that comes to mind. An incoherent combination of anything/everything.</div>
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Currently I'm favoring option 3.</div>
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OK. I'm posting this. I'm debating deleting this and trying to actually write a post that's actually about something. But right now I'm not so sure that will actually happen.</div>
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If you're reading this, say hi.</div>
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Or maybe don't. I'm not sure. I might prefer not to have an audience. But google analytics will tell me you're there so I'll still know. So I'm back to say hi. Or don't. Or give me ideas on what I'm doing here. Or don't.</div>
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OK I'm done. Bye.</div>
Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-33263692442606465252014-03-23T11:41:00.002-04:002014-03-23T11:41:30.679-04:00Chai TeaThis is the chai tea recipe I made today. Not sure if this is gonna be my final recipe but it's at least a decent start. I will probably cut back the tea since I'm pretty hopped up right now after having this after like 3 hours of sleep last night. If I'm feeling motivated maybe I'll do a few more batches to get a better understanding of what each of the spices is bringing and then work it out with the scale.<br />
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What started this is I got green cardamom pods. I got maybe a half a cup of them for $0.50! You know you're jealous.<br />
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Based off of<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/winner-aarti-sequeira1/chai-recipe.html"> this recipe</a><br />
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Chai Tea<br />
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<br />Ingredients<br /><br /> 12 oz water<br /> 1 (1-inch) piece cinnamon stick<br /> 2 green cardamom pods, smashed<br /> 4 whole cloves<br /> 1/2 star anise<br /> 2 quarter-sized coins fresh ginger<br /> 1 heaping teaspoon black tea leaves <br /> sweetened condensed milk, to taste</div>
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<br />Directions<br /><br />Boil the water.</div>
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Steep all the ingredients for 15 minutes.</div>
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Heat as needed to keep just below a boil.</div>
Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-22974970376714982042014-03-02T18:30:00.002-05:002014-03-02T18:30:53.150-05:00Eclairs<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Look I'm writing a post!</div>
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So I made eclairs. In case you couldn't tell from the title. Though if you couldn't tell from the title then you probably aren't reading this.</div>
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Anyway.</div>
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Pastry cream. Chocolate glaze. Some sort of shell. What's not to like?</div>
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So here are my not so glamorous glamor shots:<br />
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I followed <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/chocolate-eclairs-recipe/index.html">this recipe</a>. Well, for the most part. Because I'm mentally incapable of following a recipe.<br />
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I didn't have any cream and the eclairs were in the oven when I realized it. So I used some butter with the chocolate for the glaze.<br />
Oh and I used home made vanilla extract rather than steeping the vanilla bean. And probably some other little things that I can't think of.<br />
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It's good to bake again, like from scratch. It's been a while. Well, I've done some savory stuff but baking pastries is just mentally different. I should make some cookies. Or pie. mmmm I should make pie for Pi day.<br />
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On another note, I've started my first batch of seeds. Tomatoes, tomatilloes, peppers, a few other random ones, I forget which else. Right now they are seeds on a damp paper towel sitting on my heater. I'll transfer them to seed starting soil in a few days assuming I have some sprouts going by then. Hopefully I'll do better this year with seeds than the last few years. And hopefully the snow will melt sometime. My raised beds are 10" tall but I can barely tell where they are because they are still covered in snow.<br />
<br />Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-7808186358172816002014-01-19T12:16:00.000-05:002014-01-19T12:57:51.329-05:00Purse Organizer<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<span style="color: black;">Ready for a complete non sequitur post? Too bad. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">So I bought a sewing machine a few months ago. Thus far, I've hemmed pants, made a lot of balls of thread and a couple other little things. I forget what else.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">My mother bought this bag. Can you guess where? A tough one, I know.</span></div>
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It's a nice big bag that can hold lots of stuff. The base is 14 1/2" wide, to give you scale. If I'd been thinking, I'd have taken the picture with something in it to help give scale but I didn't. And I'm too lazy to get a ruler out and retake it. I'm nothing if not a dedicated blogger. hah.<br />
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The trouble with this bag, the reason why it hasn't been used in the 2 years since it was purchased, well, one of the reasons anyway, is there are no pockets in it. It's just one big bag. And if you try to use it, everything just gets lost because it's just a black hole. Because it's black. And everything disappears into it. Get it? Aren't I hilarious? Aren't you glad you are still reading this blog?<br />
<br />
So like I was saying, I made an organizer for it. Yay.<br />
<br />
So here are some pics. I just
noticed the string hanging off of it. I'll trim it but I am again too
lazy to retake the picture. And the price tag on the sketch book. And the random junk in the background. At least I wiped down and took off most of the other junk on the counter. Maybe I should start a new blog, the half
ass blog. Seems appropriate.<br />
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<br />
It's made out of mostly bubble wrap. Everything that looks white in
the pictures is ironed down bubble wrap. You can google it to get real
instructions and an actually well written interesting blog if you
actually want to do it.<br />
<br />
I put a divider in it so you have a section for tall things like a thermos or water bottle and a section for papers, books, computer or whatever other random crap you want to carry. <br />
<br />
To do it, there is an outer layer and an inner layer. Each layer is made into the bag shape and then put together and the top is folded down and top stitched. I think it's fairly standard process for making a bag. Again, there is this wonderful thing called google that can give you real instructions and less snarkiness. <br />
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The pockets are polyurethane. It's a really tough, stretchy, clear film. The pockets along the top on the outside are about 4" deep and divided into a bunch of different size sections for all the random crap that can be shoved in them. There are also big ones on the inside for <strike>more random crap</strike> things like power cords. The side pockets are <strike>we'll call it</strike> pleated for larger thicker items; in my mother's case it will be for her glasses in a big thick case. I have no clue where you would get polyurethane if you want it. The wonders of working in plastics is you can take home scrap and <strike>turn your house into a horrible hoarder stash</strike> have supplies for all sorts of crafts.<br />
<br />
I meant to sew the side pockets into the seams but I forgot about them
when I was putting it together. I ended up top stitching it because I
wasn't going to rip the seams and redo them.<br />
<br />
I did the stitching in black to make it easier to see where all the pockets are. I'm not sure that is actually working because once it's in the bag, it's pretty dark and you can't see much but I tried. Also, the black thread was already set up on my sewing machine. But I found a good story to tell so we'll go with that.<br />
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This is actually the 2nd version I've done. The first version was too tall. And a bit too wide. The stitching quality was close although I could argue this one is a little better. And I added a bunch more pockets.<br />
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Yay I actually wrote a post. Still no guarantees that I'll hit publish....<br />
<br />Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-14228221877269730172013-12-16T19:50:00.001-05:002013-12-16T19:50:59.049-05:00Hello WorldIt's been a long time since I've posted anything here.<br />
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In some ways, my world has changed a lot. In other ways, it hasn't changed at all.<br />
<br />
So what am I doing back here? What is the point of this post? Where am I going with this blog? Is this one post and then I'll disappear again? I'm not sure I have any answers.<br />
<br />
So what's changed.<br />
<br />
I've moved. Not since my last post but the last few were just posts for the sake of having posts and pretty crappy so let's pretend they don't exist. I have a single family home now rather than a townhouse.<br />
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I have a reasonably large garden at my new house. My main garden area is about 20'x20' plus I have a couple smaller side plots. Though I don't seem to have the enthusiasm I had my first year. Hopefully this year I'll clean it up well this year and get more into it next year. Assuming I'm still here next year. Which I guess stands to be proven.<br />
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I've thought about getting a beehive but right now it's way too much commitment. Just think of all the honey and the better garden. But I can't handle that much commitment right now. It's like getting a pet. But yummier.<br />
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I have a large nice kitchen with decent appliances. But I seem to use it less than I used my kitchen in my apt 5 years ago that was less than a quarter the size of my current kitchen and crappy appliances that my pans barely fit on/in.<br />
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I have a new job. Well, it's not really new any more since I've been here over 2 years. And it's not really a new new job, it's a different but not all that unrelated job and with the same company at a different location. I seem to end up doing a lot of the same stuff as I was doing in my old job, which I guess is one of the things I'm struggling with.<br />
<br />
I'm getting old. I'm now in my 30's. In the last couple years is the first time I've had coworkers who are younger than me and not entry level. Some of them are even somewhat competent. That's strange.<br />
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I'm also not the new kid. Once upon a time, I expected everyone I worked with to know what they are doing and be better at their job than I am at mine. Not any more. Which I guess is another thing I'm struggling with. The world is not as competent as I once thought, which is disheartening. <br />
<br />
Like this post, in a lot of ways I am feeling very aimless. I am feeling pressured to want things that I don't want. Whether it's to get married and pop aliens out of an orifice that is clearly not sized for that, or to want to do the things that I've already done or move into roles, the thought of which, make me feel like my soul is drowning in a vat of hydroflouric acid. I know that these are things that I don't want but I don't know what it is that I do want.<br />
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So I guess this post is about just getting started and figuring things out. Trying to figure out what I want, rather than identifying the constraints of what I don't want. Figuring out where I want to go, literally and figuratively. What I want from life. What I want to do. What I care about. What matters.<br />
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I seem to be at a turning point. I guess it's a matter of what's next.<br />
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<br />
I started this post 2 months ago but never published. I feel a little exposed. I know this post is no where near as personal as many other blogs but this is much more than I typically share. I'm not quite sure how to end this post but if I don't hit publish, I probably won't ever. Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-58818347759628625932012-08-20T14:41:00.001-04:002012-08-20T14:41:30.012-04:00Spray Paint RemoverIn my infinite brilliance, I decided to do some spray painting. Maybe I'll even post pics when I'm done. If my track record is any indicator, then it's pretty clear I won't.<br />
<br />
Anyway.... like I was saying, I did some spray painting. For some reason it made sense in my mind to hold the stuff in my hand while spray painting. I know, I'm brilliant. By the time I finished, I had a pretty freaky looking hand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQpPY3hzVxzP0yhUdvosycQEMiszxYqVUrrbaWkV3y_8SGTKP0_8vIpl-NSXpaBLqO-oNL-_-tu9cM8okcnCWtcS13WAXSazgFFjrtN3GXsJij8YIe7vJiQEiWOLCO70Q9Ln-_om2pcM/s1600/IMG_1745.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQpPY3hzVxzP0yhUdvosycQEMiszxYqVUrrbaWkV3y_8SGTKP0_8vIpl-NSXpaBLqO-oNL-_-tu9cM8okcnCWtcS13WAXSazgFFjrtN3GXsJij8YIe7vJiQEiWOLCO70Q9Ln-_om2pcM/s320/IMG_1745.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlEf15aSFuyDWwsT1_ISXmuywF2_whiEqGx_oQZquOQVQQ4SdxIi_T8qlWUBvdu_tTx-6OPty1d2uRlDA5D6RvsqRbrdxHFbjl3gvwHNP2PHPweROSPhyphenhyphenT3kxD0Mzhvo4IFOHaGBX8qsc/s1600/IMG_1746.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlEf15aSFuyDWwsT1_ISXmuywF2_whiEqGx_oQZquOQVQQ4SdxIi_T8qlWUBvdu_tTx-6OPty1d2uRlDA5D6RvsqRbrdxHFbjl3gvwHNP2PHPweROSPhyphenhyphenT3kxD0Mzhvo4IFOHaGBX8qsc/s320/IMG_1746.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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At this point I came inside and tried scrubbing at it with hand soap. Nothing. Couldn't even turn the soap faintly gray. Then I tried the dish soap. Still nothing. I used my tried and true scrubbing toothbrush and still nothing.<br />
<br />
Now I was starting to get concerned. I have no problem having a few paint spots on me but having my whole hand pretty much black would get some pretty odd looks. Because people don't think I'm strange enough as it is.<br />
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That's when I started searching the internets. It did not look good. Because of the fine mist of spray paint it's really hard to clean off. And the oh so helpful tip of cover yourself before you spray paint. Because that really helps with my alien black hand.<br />
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Fortunately someone mentioned that most spray paints are oil based so an oil based cleaner may work. How have I managed to ramble this long without getting to the point?<br />
<br />
So here's my trick. Sugar scrub. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHInC05BAEGGRa-Yp_Qi6GrgqccHhXSNkoYJ3bOe3Fj1_KNoFyNEdU0pDFW7FBtnLg_4RrsxzVso91WvlqGxLgB6cdpVRww2KpKFLwXBIZSsxVm2RotP6lPhNsxnYk7gbt6FgvI5pZm6c/s1600/IMG_1747.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHInC05BAEGGRa-Yp_Qi6GrgqccHhXSNkoYJ3bOe3Fj1_KNoFyNEdU0pDFW7FBtnLg_4RrsxzVso91WvlqGxLgB6cdpVRww2KpKFLwXBIZSsxVm2RotP6lPhNsxnYk7gbt6FgvI5pZm6c/s320/IMG_1747.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br />
<br />
Rub it into your hands until the paint loosens up. The oil of the sugar scrub will help dissolve the paint and the grits of the scrub help get everything moving. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07isxmE3WgOHkq3yk1B0fxQldGnjYyhTQ673FBsYybYwYOc1hrJeURuZmOHm2woD7KxwZoKsn4gbeIh9L47K0ASPbbUY95Xtm7eetAJPe3zk9s2PFISlp1ufDHI2eMshlIz_ksFWwqn0/s1600/IMG_1748.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07isxmE3WgOHkq3yk1B0fxQldGnjYyhTQ673FBsYybYwYOc1hrJeURuZmOHm2woD7KxwZoKsn4gbeIh9L47K0ASPbbUY95Xtm7eetAJPe3zk9s2PFISlp1ufDHI2eMshlIz_ksFWwqn0/s320/IMG_1748.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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After all the paint is dissolved into the scrub, use soap to actually wash away the oily painty residue.<br />
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Here's a bonus tip: don't stick your hands in a hot skillet. It's just stupid. Yes, that explains the bandaid in the pictures<br />
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Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-11537599623652038792012-04-01T12:50:00.000-04:002012-04-01T19:38:23.048-04:00Knife Drawer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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OK so we all know I suck at blogging. So there's no before picture. And my after picture isn't great. But you get the idea. For the before, picture a drawer with knives randomly thrown in there, fearing getting dinged and/or a finger getting cut. It always bothered me to put my fancy expensive Wustof knife in the drawer so it usually sat on the counter on my cutting board.</div>
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I'd been thinking about getting a slab of wood and cutting grooves in it for the knives so that they would stand vertically, ie a custom homemade drawer knife block. But obviously that would require effort and like so many other things, I hadn't gotten around to doing it.</div>
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I saw <a href="http://www.kjandco.ca/2012/02/knife-dock-diy.html">this</a> and realized what I needed to do. This is a much simpler solution and can adjust to whatever knives are in the drawer at the time. No figuring out which one goes where. No figuring out how to get all these cuts into a piece of wood.</div>
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Krista used cork but I had a stack of foam sheets that has been steadily growing with no particular use in mind. I cut them into lots of about 8"x3" sheets. Stacked them up, stuck them in the drawer and stuck the knives in. It took all of 15 minutes to do. And really that's just because I cut them to the wrong size the first time and had to recut them. You want the length to be the length of the blade of your longest knife. There is a small section of the knife where the blade meets the handle that tends not to want to go into the foam.</div>
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I could actually see this being done with cardboard and looking pretty cool. You would probably get the sizes more consistent with cardboard. Or if you are less spazzy than me. We'll call it 'artisan'. Cue the hate mail from people who actually do artisan crafts that don't look like a 5 year old made it. But hey, at least my knife drawer is finally getting some order.</div>
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<br />Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-59927979988935496852012-03-27T12:17:00.000-04:002012-03-27T12:17:00.723-04:00Making a Mess<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My neighbors love me. Ha. Hopefully I won't make a big enough mess for someone to actually complain.</div>
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So I've decided to make a mess of my yard. The previous owners had it all nicely landscaped and pretty. Well, since I bought it, I didn't water the lawn so I let the grass die and the weeds take over.</div>
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I never really cared for that planting strip at the front. What purpose does it serve? So I decided to plant some tulips last fall. Directly into the grass because I didn't feel like figuring out how to get rid of the grass. </div>
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Well, then spring came along and the tulips started coming up.... and I realized I needed to do something. So I laid mulch. To kill the grass, I put newspaper down under the mulch to help suffocate the grass. </div>
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So far this hasn't worked out so well. First, I didn't buy enough mulch and so I ran out and the newspaper was peeking out from under it. At the time I didn't think it was that hideous but the next day, as I was leaving or work, I realized how absolutely horrendous it was. So that night I went and bought more mulch and laid that down.</div>
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Well, now it's been a few weeks. The grass is peeking out at the edges. And in places where the paper has shifted, leaving a gap for the grass to come through. And next to the plants.</div>
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I also decided to cut some babies off a spikey plant closer to the house and plant those. No clue what it is other than a spikey plant. I transplanted 4 of them and it looks like 2 of them should survive. I'll probably try another 2 or so again. The original plants are pretty big and over grown and haven't appeared to have been harmed by my earlier attempt so I have more material to play with.</div>
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5wKtu-O8VTVywtz_HgIQ_zBtrJ4DzJYeqhDFLJ4iS4aIpSORtKe0MSx1LVJJIo-zvhdTpUgM-qAXIs95zfkpmitn-Vq7ZlPWjZFeTR9bYF_mnMeaw0Kz8lNdA_kcWFclzQp2lruBNTCM/s320/IMG_1728.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeLqkVUDFaJLCxNs8KaAvhUl_5UuMd20eTdGx0qVkP4dc6oqlLXL-HxG6nhIAYF9eCWgYZ5Ilx88JeV6m7gEfxT1v3DKkK63FJNDqIF9-o_8xBvkYUD3HOlWfugtbcfVvIp9sOCrl21U/s1600/IMG_1731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeLqkVUDFaJLCxNs8KaAvhUl_5UuMd20eTdGx0qVkP4dc6oqlLXL-HxG6nhIAYF9eCWgYZ5Ilx88JeV6m7gEfxT1v3DKkK63FJNDqIF9-o_8xBvkYUD3HOlWfugtbcfVvIp9sOCrl21U/s320/IMG_1731.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkmAueFnp7zL_1mmf0FfgTW-p0qIVl0N7aGDfEcaoBZ45vooTJxeTygS2q2-aDPu-GMxxAE-zWGErFYRRoRkUvKrkh0rWebpECtp4djB_-IS5h2T6nb5Lj4cP7D6A_6mIjhGVCKeY42w/s1600/IMG_1732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkmAueFnp7zL_1mmf0FfgTW-p0qIVl0N7aGDfEcaoBZ45vooTJxeTygS2q2-aDPu-GMxxAE-zWGErFYRRoRkUvKrkh0rWebpECtp4djB_-IS5h2T6nb5Lj4cP7D6A_6mIjhGVCKeY42w/s320/IMG_1732.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUM9RRwPa91WhyphenhyphenUXhpms3Acor1hIdEha7Mwfw-D50qAYmvoY8PX204IokzkmavEbroG5CisLvkXKFioVOZtmRG2dvDhsr1KRTI-F-KCT0bV0WR6UfwmcxHZbOmcqxNg2hwG4yIYT2oJo/s1600/IMG_1733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUM9RRwPa91WhyphenhyphenUXhpms3Acor1hIdEha7Mwfw-D50qAYmvoY8PX204IokzkmavEbroG5CisLvkXKFioVOZtmRG2dvDhsr1KRTI-F-KCT0bV0WR6UfwmcxHZbOmcqxNg2hwG4yIYT2oJo/s320/IMG_1733.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">If you take the picture at the right</span> place and angle, it doesn't look too bad. Look! I have flowers. What's that thing next to the flower? It must be some glare or something. It couldn't be newspaper peeking out. Why would there be newspaper there? hah</div>
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<span style="color: black;"> </span><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGvjw7537KmoHoF2zKuCyMz002gfamDG5LyqnYJcA2HkA-Ey6Utz_yV8TFIRI6IhvL57xrIN32wrFsD13rhnde2T2ubhtRLGnYqUHQZojPSb7sFwJH5RxS5iAtsTlPpO9axc6Ecg2OHI/s320/IMG_1734.JPG" width="320" /> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKamJkMCLlg0JS3SrEbnCO5tqUZbQCXIWursobSgjVPKXU-wVpC4cUkPjZEyfFJrr40EF9k37x7jzuVGzDK3viG8GDhnfKoM-8MtUeCc3HLeXq1hlW10nm2rrMngBkaEaznReI9qEzao/s1600/IMG_1735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKamJkMCLlg0JS3SrEbnCO5tqUZbQCXIWursobSgjVPKXU-wVpC4cUkPjZEyfFJrr40EF9k37x7jzuVGzDK3viG8GDhnfKoM-8MtUeCc3HLeXq1hlW10nm2rrMngBkaEaznReI9qEzao/s320/IMG_1735.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
The garden center is not a good place for me. It's a really nice garden center and they have tons of cool stuff. It's really hard for me not to spend an hour just browsing what they have. It's also really hard not to walk out of there with way more than I have any reason to buy. <br />
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Case and point, the tree I bought. It's a persimmon tree. The reason this is relatively good is because it's only one tree, where I had 3 others I was also seriously considering.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPqt3WvonsZuZ63_RLYmW-2QOu2NMqJry8Q_8B7g9GNO5BVoatPWlJQWMhVASRnbXutE7gzydqwH2jsD72QYJtPzUKNKxDPd-b5PHhVAKLx-RrXXW_dQZ2WE6p1BA82SJ7SoIxTVxnYY/s1600/IMG_1729.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPqt3WvonsZuZ63_RLYmW-2QOu2NMqJry8Q_8B7g9GNO5BVoatPWlJQWMhVASRnbXutE7gzydqwH2jsD72QYJtPzUKNKxDPd-b5PHhVAKLx-RrXXW_dQZ2WE6p1BA82SJ7SoIxTVxnYY/s320/IMG_1729.JPG" width="240" /> </a></div>
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So far it's just a stick in some mulch. Hopefully something will happen soon. I have no idea what I'm doing or when some signs of life will show up. </div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-25692935485063943642012-03-24T10:10:00.000-04:002012-03-24T12:20:18.007-04:00New TableSo my hoarder tendencies are going strong. With the warm spring weather, everyone seems to be cleaning out and I have picked up a ton of furniture at the curb. My garage is now packed with furniture. A dresser, shelves, platform bed.....<br />
<br />
Here is one piece. When I brought it home, I was figuring would be a really nice table for garden planning in my seed growing room and I can use one of the random chairs that I hoarded with it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynEF9a2v44YLOpj4C25Kff9gkQJ78MqB2xkNf_2JdGDCtBDXGHLWS7v6Yjoy2ol9iv8v0iIGxYRGW2AW0Xn1Ahs6a6yS5JOMWiZUNVm-sGWJSYi78I9szHHktIjApzK6ZNmxL0BXIxVk/s1600/IMG_1730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynEF9a2v44YLOpj4C25Kff9gkQJ78MqB2xkNf_2JdGDCtBDXGHLWS7v6Yjoy2ol9iv8v0iIGxYRGW2AW0Xn1Ahs6a6yS5JOMWiZUNVm-sGWJSYi78I9szHHktIjApzK6ZNmxL0BXIxVk/s320/IMG_1730.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Well, only when I reassembled it, did I realize it's only about 1.5 feet tall. Yes, I realize when the legs are just over a foot, it's not exactly going to be a standard table height but for some reason I didn't realize that until I assembled it and stood it up.<br />
<br />
So now the question is, what is this table supposed to be for and what the hell am I going to do with it?Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-85372514503777405902012-02-17T21:10:00.000-05:002012-02-17T21:10:20.899-05:00Seed Starting UpdateI have my first sprouts!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp33C3PD7_hfPmMdnyQQMFenD5LM7F3oEe2YjkOXMgY7-c0McPQiZ8hN3UbHSXL00PUUIGX8jMYolapmJ2TR17CKDwacbDCs5h5xBw3OcaMdHCbs6fL_b7g-VWJtnhpIPBL8QHAGfl-fQ/s1600/IMG_1724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp33C3PD7_hfPmMdnyQQMFenD5LM7F3oEe2YjkOXMgY7-c0McPQiZ8hN3UbHSXL00PUUIGX8jMYolapmJ2TR17CKDwacbDCs5h5xBw3OcaMdHCbs6fL_b7g-VWJtnhpIPBL8QHAGfl-fQ/s640/IMG_1724.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
See em?<br />
They are in there<br />
Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts have sprouted<br />
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Yes I do realize it's really early to be starting them but the weather's been so warm, I figure spring's gonna start early and they like a little bit of frost right? That and I'm excited to have my first garden. Garden that I own, that is. Well, I guess technically the bank owns it. hrm. I'm good at sucking the joy out of things.<br />
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These were new seeds. Most of my seeds are from 2010 and none of them have sprouted yet. I'm hoping it's just because these ones sprout fast and the other ones will come up in the next week or so. Otherwise I will be sad.Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-87306571376003844572012-02-13T11:15:00.001-05:002012-02-13T11:15:27.373-05:00Seed Starting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMW0QqR9Xv-bSN9hQeTXUd2_LzcyX6DRSAag56thzLOQdRTn3Bba6h-HQooSZ0OyyavuyDgCz2h4EFNzLMS3wB9jRgwqd4rGojtaELMHWaMQBMTb3GZ0kcj2J4AQ_cmYD5f9jKj1Er8Q/s1600/IMG_1715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMW0QqR9Xv-bSN9hQeTXUd2_LzcyX6DRSAag56thzLOQdRTn3Bba6h-HQooSZ0OyyavuyDgCz2h4EFNzLMS3wB9jRgwqd4rGojtaELMHWaMQBMTb3GZ0kcj2J4AQ_cmYD5f9jKj1Er8Q/s640/IMG_1715.JPG" width="640" /> </a></div>
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The first batch of seeds has been started! That is my water heater. It's the warmest place in the house. Until the plants actually sprout, they need heat, not light. Once they have sprouted, they will move to a shelf where I will set up flourescent lights to get some seedlings going. </div>
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I am anticipating 8 weeks to transplant. Last frost date here is listed as April 11-18. Hopefully it will be earlier rather than later. Most of the seeds are from 2010 so we'll see how they do.</div>
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The seeds are a bunch of herbs, a bunch of tomatoes, a bunch of peppers and a bunch of other stuff, don't remember what other seeds I randomly chose. Very descriptive, I know.</div>
<span id="goog_419108505"></span><span id="goog_419108506"></span>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-48352272147010339582012-02-09T21:50:00.003-05:002012-02-09T21:50:59.819-05:00Hey look! It's another post! This is no way guarantees future performance. Apparently I've heard too many investment commercials.<br />
<br />
So I guess I should provide some other updates as well.<br />
<br />
Well.<br />
<br />
So what do I have to update.<br />
<br />
The year started out with a bang. A bunch of changes going on in my life. Really stressful start to the year at work. A few weeks in, I was really disturbingly close to having a complete psychotic meltdown. Some may say I wasn't just close, but I was way over that line. Of course some would say I've never seen the right side of it. But I'm better now. Relatively speaking anyway. I never claimed to be the picture of normal.<br />
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Anyway....<br />
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I am preparing to start seeds for spring. That's all sorts of exciting. Except that I am so indecisive that I keep changing what I want to grow, where each plant goes, how I want to lay out the garden, etc. You would think, considering I now have probably double the space I have had before, I would have plenty of space for everything. But I keep adding more stuff I want to grow! Well (theorhetically anyway) I will have more posts in the future about that.<br />
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Now... I will actually publish this without a picture because it'll never get posted if I wait until I dig up my camera, take the pictures, copy the pictures over, choose one, post it... Yes I realize in the amount of time I spent typing that out I could've done all that.<br />
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This is a pretty simple recipe. A good way to get a nice sugar kick going. Maybe a way to kick off my return to blogging.<br />
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge<br />
based off Alton Brown's fudge recipe. Google it if you want that instead of my version. <br />
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1 cup crunchy peanut butter<br />
8 oz butter<br />
1 lb confectioners sugar<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1/2 cup chocolate chips<br />
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Coat an 8x8 pan with cooking spray or butter. Heat peanut butter and butter in a pyrex bowl, covered, for 2 minutes in the microwave. Stir. Heat for another 2 minutes in the microwave. Stir thoroughly. Stir in confectioners sugar and vanilla until combined and mixture has a dull finish. Stir in chocolate chips and let sit for a minute to allow them to soften. Press mixture into the greased pan. Chill until firm. Cut into squares.Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-37077587176245579462011-11-23T16:15:00.000-05:002011-11-23T16:48:01.249-05:00Playing HouseYay for taking some vacation! One that I apparently desperately need. For weeks now, every time I would say anything, my coworker would respond with 'man, you really need to take a vacation'<br /><br />I am taking the week off for Thanksgiving. I am cooking the turkey and stuff. I can't say it's a terribly exciting vacation but it's relaxing. I've sat around the house. Watched a season of Mad Men. Painted my coffee table. Played with my compost pile. Cleaned assorted surfaces. Although I still can't seem to get the grout in my kitchen/lining room floor clean. I lead an exciting life, I know.<br /><br />After numerous rounds of scrubbing it with a toothbrush, scrubbing brush, all purpose cleaner, bleach and a mop. It's still not quite clean but at least it's better. A stiff toothbrush wes the best way I've gotten at cleaning the grout. The scrubbing brush just didn't get into the grout as well as the toothbrush did. I will probably pick up a bunch of them the next time I am at the grocery store. Although maybe an electric toothbrush would cut back the amount of elbow grease needed.<br /><br />Anyway... this post is supposed to be about the coffee table.<br /><br />There was a time when I didn't really care for this coffee table. It is a handmedown from my parents. Who had probably picked it up at the curb at some point. When I got my first apartment after college, they gave it to me. It was beat up. It's particle board with a wood veneer and the squares on the legs that you can't really see in the picture are plastic with some sort of coating on it. There are spots where the veneer is worn away, and paint drips and spots where it was warped from moisture. I decided I wanted to get new furniture but I'd hold on to this one until I got the new one. Well, it's been almost 10 years and... well... as you can see I still have it.<br /><br />But I still don't love it. I put it in the basement, still with the intention of getting new living room furniture. I have accepted that I'll probably keep it for a while longer.<br /><br />So I decided to at least make it less ugly. I sanded it down and painted the whole thing bright red. It's still back in my basement and at least the warped damaged parts of it are not so noticeable.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12QUjz7WLdmtX2kj55j7wBaDGdKDD7YnDYZXS25sKezNHqnkxRBRsQXFSW8AAE8W8NIAYzf34fRZ65IVDEoJzM9IPMJhQRn2pZg9hXympJcT4NxWah-LClcPRGE2oP7Bj6-iSPbN_0y0/s1600/IMG_1304.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12QUjz7WLdmtX2kj55j7wBaDGdKDD7YnDYZXS25sKezNHqnkxRBRsQXFSW8AAE8W8NIAYzf34fRZ65IVDEoJzM9IPMJhQRn2pZg9hXympJcT4NxWah-LClcPRGE2oP7Bj6-iSPbN_0y0/s400/IMG_1304.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678225876605411602" border="0" /></a>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-37712993134527243952011-11-15T06:42:00.000-05:002011-11-15T06:54:10.556-05:00CompostThe leaves have been falling and suddenly my compost pile is full.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytFlXms1kh8526snJJyFlICmUS2VQ7YFD6XjTWWonwFNXNCdeYIfmiRbGcQc-E9hI9kqpqNanph-v4eaqsrtlqtUphJdBwRx-0NmiXaml_qDrGmvy909gVSofs66MubSjIMiYppfbIp4/s1600/IMG_1302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytFlXms1kh8526snJJyFlICmUS2VQ7YFD6XjTWWonwFNXNCdeYIfmiRbGcQc-E9hI9kqpqNanph-v4eaqsrtlqtUphJdBwRx-0NmiXaml_qDrGmvy909gVSofs66MubSjIMiYppfbIp4/s320/IMG_1302.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Although actually it was a lot fuller a couple days ago when I loaded it up so hopefully the leaves will break down more before I have to add more.<br />
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And yes that picture was taken through my kitchen window. It's cold out and it's before 7AM!<br />
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On a related note, everyone who has seen my compost pile thought it
was weird that I had paper in there. Why is that weird? Newspaper is a
lot like leaves. <br />
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Though really I need some nitrogen in there. Any suggestions for where to get some that's free?Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-72557400625697679712011-10-12T20:27:00.001-04:002011-10-12T20:27:43.670-04:00Honeycomb CandyI decided to take a day off from work. Didn't have a plan for what I wanted to do with my day off or anything but I figured I'd take it.<br />
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I dug up my yard. After changing my mind about 8 times on how I wanted to lay out the garden, I decided not to build raised beds yet. I dug up and loosened the soil where I think I want the beds to go. I'll try the garden as is, see how it does next year, adjust the lay out if needed, and if I like the layout and the soil quality isn't as good as I would like it to be, then maybe I'll build raised beds.<br />
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Naturally, since I was home, I had to make something. This was one thing I made. Also made a bunch of other stuff that I so didn't need to make. Maybe I'll get around to posting those as well.<br />
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I'd been meaning to try making this for a while now. It's pretty sweet so break it up into small pieces. But the soy sauce cuts the sugar a bit so I like to believe it's not sickeningly sweet. There are probably some that would disagree with that but oh well.<br />
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Honeycomb Candy<br />
based off of <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/honeycomb-candy-recipe/index.html">this recipe</a><br />
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<ul class="kv-ingred-list1">
<li class="ingredient">1 1/2 cups sugar</li>
<li class="ingredient">water - about 1/4 cup, just enough to dissolve sugar</li>
<li class="ingredient"> 3 tablespoons honey </li>
<li class="ingredient">1/3 cup corn syrup</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 tbsp soy sauce </li>
<li class="ingredient">4 teaspoons baking soda, sifted</li>
</ul>
<h2>
Directions</h2>
<div class="instructions">
<div class="instruction">
In a pot,
combine the sugar, honey, corn syrup and water.
Boil until amber colored and the sugar looks like caramel, shaking occasionally but not stirring. Add soy sauce and swirl. Add the baking soda,
and stir with a silicone spatula. It will foam up a lot. Pour
the mixture onto a silpat and let cool. Break into pieces. </div>
</div>
<br />Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-35057838671829974292011-09-30T20:09:00.000-04:002011-09-30T20:09:00.242-04:00Cheesecake Ice CreamThe bowl for my ice cream maker is in my freezer. I put it there when I moved in. As long as it's there, taking up precious freezer space, I figure it needs to be put to good use. The first batch was cinnamon ice cream. This was the 2nd.<br />
<br />
This is actually what you should do, not what I did. I threw everything
in a bowl and mixed. Then I got a whisk to break up the lumps as best I
could but definitely still had some. Oh well. I guess I'll have to
try again sometime. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7Wqfui_t6eJArL48X1EVHCs0MysUf-FHPS9Odm9Cx4TGItRuO9mCyyT9zbkY4gCNtsn6SPI3YTmhAgcRQTLhsdEfvXcKuTFSQTUrKS5QfIuL6eJh2TGvHSBnV_jS5Ivz8rM0zSCe9rk/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7Wqfui_t6eJArL48X1EVHCs0MysUf-FHPS9Odm9Cx4TGItRuO9mCyyT9zbkY4gCNtsn6SPI3YTmhAgcRQTLhsdEfvXcKuTFSQTUrKS5QfIuL6eJh2TGvHSBnV_jS5Ivz8rM0zSCe9rk/s320/IMG_1299.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Cheesecake Ice Cream<br />
adapted from <a href="http://www.weeatreal.com/2011/04/cheesecake-ice-cream.html">this recipe</a><br />
<br />
8 oz cream cheese<br />
8 oz plain yogurt<br />
4 oz light cream <br />
2/3 cup sugar<br />
1 tsp orange zest<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste<br />
pinch sea salt<br />
<br />
Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Gradually add the yogurt while stirring to get a smooth mixture. Continue with the cream. Stir in orange zest, vanilla bean paste and salt. Chill in the fridge overnight. Churn in ice cream maker.Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-75438872470151266762011-09-22T06:02:00.000-04:002011-09-22T06:02:00.671-04:00CompostSo it's mid September. Obviously I am not going to be planting a garden this year. But I can get things ready for next year.<br /><br />Here is the first piece of my garden, the compost pile. I brought home some pallets from work. $2 for L brackets, and an hour to assemble and load it up. By load it up, I mean, move what looked like a trash heap in the middle of my yard so that it's contained by the pallets. My neighbors love me. At least my lawn isn't yellow any more, just green with weeds.<br /><br />The compost pile is in the corner. The rest of the garden will be the dirt area around it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDPAjm2VgFirHtRZmIcJiMd6Ubbg1qfvUOskpeG1BjWED_kerW6jT502QTUo3zM2JRewjGPZvjomX4g0cOWwCyNavpTzsPkjRGLoqUxpO87Sfh1155o6PW2om9g_xSXRcmsndEnaHEZ8/s1600/IMG_1295.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDPAjm2VgFirHtRZmIcJiMd6Ubbg1qfvUOskpeG1BjWED_kerW6jT502QTUo3zM2JRewjGPZvjomX4g0cOWwCyNavpTzsPkjRGLoqUxpO87Sfh1155o6PW2om9g_xSXRcmsndEnaHEZ8/s400/IMG_1295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654194779849184546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgOMh0_bfFcVYBj-9bdQzzAahsHbktm1IvrpHJ2xFGF8fjI5SzXfQNpURL-6vEndIKLq585ndN22vjMC1LU0DTRJQD3-dwI9TcUWXhHpP4MXLww-IaDQurCrfKJcWbFFHOzaACm-t1mo/s1600/IMG_1297.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgOMh0_bfFcVYBj-9bdQzzAahsHbktm1IvrpHJ2xFGF8fjI5SzXfQNpURL-6vEndIKLq585ndN22vjMC1LU0DTRJQD3-dwI9TcUWXhHpP4MXLww-IaDQurCrfKJcWbFFHOzaACm-t1mo/s400/IMG_1297.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654194784392208642" border="0" /></a>I am deciding how I want to lay out the garden. The grid is 1 ft per box. The box on the top left is the compost pile. The other boxes are raised beds. That's as much effort as I am capable of putting into drawing this.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlSMXxqzBVctZn58y0W1oZQ5Lvw3vGFdlg26g71a6bDhUzdGyyw0VMgmpeaNz_74rTxV2uNa8uUwVvG2_bByo2fVwxp0jiEL8aSRrmJEY7flzrfhsO2IVmNgmT78X3DIWwHuwy82h66c/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-09-19+at+6.21.35+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 342px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlSMXxqzBVctZn58y0W1oZQ5Lvw3vGFdlg26g71a6bDhUzdGyyw0VMgmpeaNz_74rTxV2uNa8uUwVvG2_bByo2fVwxp0jiEL8aSRrmJEY7flzrfhsO2IVmNgmT78X3DIWwHuwy82h66c/s400/Screen+shot+2011-09-19+at+6.21.35+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654199810017963538" border="0" /></a><br />What do you think? Is 2 ft a wide enough aisle? I am thinking it will just be boards around the border. Not sure how I am getting 20' boards and bringing them home but we'll get to that. Or I'll get multiple shorter boards and figure out how to join them. Can I just screw together the corners or do I need something more to support it and keep it from falling apart once it's filled with dirt? I figure I'll till everything with my garden weasel before I build the beds. Hopefully that will give me a few years before I need to figure out how to till inside the raised beds.Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-14296654798328644532011-09-19T15:55:00.001-04:002011-09-19T15:55:00.215-04:00No Knead BreadOK so everyone else blogged this years ago but hey, I'm slow. I might be slow enough for this to be retro cool rather than just dated. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.<br /><br />So the reason I am actually baking the bread dough that was in my fridge is this. My coworker had egg salad for lunch yesterday. Suddenly I needed egg salad. Then I needed a carrier for the egg salad. I tried to dip some baby carrots in it and that worked kinda a little while the bread was rising but not terribly well.<br /><br />If I were a more interesting person, this would be where I would insert a funny story. But hey, I don't claim to be exciting so it's your own fault for reading this.<br /><br />My recipe is based off the Jim Lahey's recipe, published in the NYTimes. I added a little honey and upped the salt a hair because I can. At least right now, I am just keeping a batch of this dough in the fridge and baking it whenever I want bread.<br /><br />The first time I made it, I made a big loaf in the dutch oven, like the recipe says. That always comes out with an amazing crust, perfect for slathering with butter or dip in garlic oil. This time I made some rolls in a muffin pan, uncovered. These are a bit softer but still with more of a crust than a lot of rolls that I've had at restaurants. At some point I thought the muffin pan size would be a good sandwich size but they are a bit small for that.<br /><br />A batch made one big loaf. I used about half a batch to make a dozen mini rolls.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdaVTibJm7H854HicxB0Q8MsHA_aqbcioHzZ-DxQeSr35cymULT19fMX68moJKk4n5uMY8PLZocbQL4Eu4T27ZoQKPbLsp_7_Y0Xv92IUpN8QYEA_dZZRVzZABENFDi1CtC4uwVIhgff4/s1600/IMG_1292.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdaVTibJm7H854HicxB0Q8MsHA_aqbcioHzZ-DxQeSr35cymULT19fMX68moJKk4n5uMY8PLZocbQL4Eu4T27ZoQKPbLsp_7_Y0Xv92IUpN8QYEA_dZZRVzZABENFDi1CtC4uwVIhgff4/s400/IMG_1292.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653434340167803186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>3 cups flour</div><div>1/4 tsp yeast</div><div>1 1/2 tsp salt</div><div>1 tbsp honey</div><div>1 1/2 cup water</div><div><br /></div><div>Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. </div><div>Let it sit out on the counter for about 12 hours. </div><div>Refrigerate until you are ready to use. </div><div>The day you are going to bake, take dough out of the fridge and fold together into a ball or whatever shape you desire. Small dough balls in a muffin pan are also nice.</div><div>Place ball on floured towel, cover with another floured towel and allow to rise 2 1/2 hours.</div><div>During the last 30 mins of rising, preheat oven to 450.</div><div>Bake until you have a golden brown crust. </div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-9050653330291179402011-09-14T13:33:00.002-04:002011-09-14T13:33:00.334-04:00Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcCNG50RZqfdeeZfEK7RlWnZqB2iaFLoioOfKGtrDpnEW1eMSgUfY74NH9AEnJ4LVdT2vuu9rVR8qj8BmcnLPK3QfQnZrFncDGmqzbLjptrKvnCHiZ0iY27bJhy8LOL0C6PEV7Lv1AHQ/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div>Hey look! Another post! </div><div><br /></div>Here's another recipe that I've made a bunch of times but when I searched here to find it, it wasn't here. So I guess I'm writing a blog post about how I didn't write a blog post. Exciting stuff, I know.<div><br /></div><div>It's been a crazy week. Well, it'll be last week, by the time this post goes up. I like to schedule a few of them and space them out. You know, to have a post every few days rather than 3 in a day and then nothing for a few weeks. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway... it's been a crazy week. I took the week off with the plan to relax, unpack some stuff, maybe buy a few things for the house, finish the built in shelving that I already posted. And that's how my vacation started. </div><div><br /></div><div>But then Tuesday evening, I hear this tapping sound. I looked around and found out that water was coming down from my air conditioning vent into my living room. Not a lot, probably a quart of water total but enough to make me unhappy. So I contacted 3 roofers. </div><div><br /></div><div>I spoke to the first one about 8:30 on Wednesday; he said he'd be there about 10-10:30 to check it out; I'm still waiting for him to show up. </div><div><br /></div><div>The second guy came and looked at it and said it doesn't really look like it's a roof leak because the roof is in good shape, which I agreed with being that the roof is only 8 years old; he started looking at the siding and saw a gap where if the wind blows the right way might be able to get water in it and get to the duct. </div><div><br /></div><div>The third guy came in, took a look at where the vent is, relative to the window, went outside to look at the roof, stepped 20 ft back and looked at it for a minute and said all he could do is replace the entire roof. Never actually looked at the roof or anything. Asshole.</div><div><br /></div><div>So that's made my vacation fun.</div><div><br /></div><div>And the fun continued. Friday I went down to my basement to fix something. My finished, carpeted basement. I sat down on the floor and when I got up I noticed my shorts were damp. Odd. I didn't think I'd pissed myself and if I was having bladder issues, that was news to me. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I start checking the floor and I found a maybe 5 sq ft wet spot on the carpet. This is the line of thought that was going on in my head. 'shit. shit shit shit. shit fuck shit. shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit.' Very eloquent, I know. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I raced to the garage and got my shop vac and started trying to suck up the water. I got probably a gallon up like that. You could barely feel the dampness in the carpet. I cranked up my box fan and dehumidifier, went back upstairs and sat down and let out a big sigh.<br /><div><br /></div><div>But then I started thinking about it a bit more and I started worrying about the carpet pad and subfloor. Ultimately, I ended up pulling up the carpet and carpet pad on about 1/3 of my basement. When it's on concrete, carpet pad is just glued down, which makes it not the easiest to get up. In case you were wondering. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fortunately it wasn't raining so I took several of the carpet pads and let them dry outside and I got to work on drying out everything that was still inside. I used pretty much everything I have that can move air, one way or another. Box fan, space heater, blow dryer, dehumidifier and shop vac. All running on high. Can't wait to see that electric bill. At least I didn't trip anything out. </div><div><br /></div><div>And yes, I sat there with the holding the blow dryer, blowing under the baseboard heater to try and get the concrete dried out. And in case you were wondering, you can burn carpet with a blow dryer if you hold it really close to the carpet. You know, if that was one of those things that you've always been wondering about.</div><div><br /></div><div>I set up the space heater behind the box fan so the box fan was blowing hot dry air with a lot more fan speed than the space heater. When things got fairly dry, I just used the box fan and dehumidifier. </div><div><br /></div><div>Every 3 hours, I'd go down, empty the dehumidifier (I moved it over to where the floor was wet and of course my hose isn't long enough to reach from there to the drain), move the fan, carpet pads and carpet around some to make sure everything gets really dry. 3 days of that. And yes, I set an alarm during the night to get up and do it every 3 hours. It's like I got a newborn infant dropped on me. At least I don't have to breast feed it or something.</div><div><br /></div><div>At some point I started spraying everything with vinegar to help prevent mold growth. I used close to a half a gallon of vinegar. I'd spray, turn the fans off for 30 mins or so and then turn them back on. I'm sure the neighbors could smell it. But at least it's not as stinky as ammonia or bleach. And I don't see or smell any signs of mold.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well between each of those 3 hour increments, I had some time to do other things, at least when things were pretty much dry. This was when I deemed the shelves done. Even though the finish isn't very smooth and I probably didn't give the polyurethane enough cure time. I also made some cookie dough. Sigh. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway. Here's the cookie recipe. I'm done whining. At least for this post. You can stop scrolling now.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcCNG50RZqfdeeZfEK7RlWnZqB2iaFLoioOfKGtrDpnEW1eMSgUfY74NH9AEnJ4LVdT2vuu9rVR8qj8BmcnLPK3QfQnZrFncDGmqzbLjptrKvnCHiZ0iY27bJhy8LOL0C6PEV7Lv1AHQ/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcCNG50RZqfdeeZfEK7RlWnZqB2iaFLoioOfKGtrDpnEW1eMSgUfY74NH9AEnJ4LVdT2vuu9rVR8qj8BmcnLPK3QfQnZrFncDGmqzbLjptrKvnCHiZ0iY27bJhy8LOL0C6PEV7Lv1AHQ/s400/IMG_1289.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651128673903944194" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies</div><div>based on <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/chocolate-dipped-hazelnut-shortbread-recipe/index.html">Dave Lieberman's recipe</a></div><div><br /></div><div>1 cup hazelnuts</div><div>1 cup AP flour</div><div>1/2 tsp baking powder</div><div>1/2 tsp kosher salt</div><div>1 stick butter at room temperature</div><div>1/3 cup sugar</div><div>1 egg</div><div>1 tsp vanilla</div><div>3 oz dark chocolate</div><div><br /></div><div>Toast the nuts in a dry skillet until fragrant.</div><div>Finely chop the nuts.</div><div>Cream butter and sugar together.</div><div>Beat in egg and vanilla.</div><div>Mix together nuts, flour, baking powder, salt.</div><div>Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined.</div><div>Form into a log and chill for at least 2 hours.</div><div>Slice cookies and bake at 350. How long to bake will depend on how big you make the cookies. I did 16 cookies and baked about 15 minutes.</div><div>While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate in the microwave.</div><div>Dip part of the cookies in the chocolate and drizzle top with the remainder after they've cooled for a couple minutes.</div></div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-420437498901955642011-09-11T12:22:00.001-04:002011-09-11T12:22:00.219-04:00Built In Shelving<div style="text-align: left;">So I've decided to call these shelves done. Not because I'm extremely thrilled with how they came out but because I've got too much other crap to deal with. </div><div><br /></div><div>Before:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7nZipzLBID6D8YpNgLXmtWKPcK9SoWUKipa6xTjsZ_d2ddKLV7sZwHQjUVBHjZIulwUYT8zktULe5LlZvJpvRfGZ1R3dbpfL3oOsJgOhbku-RgEQjLmvx_2jjXmlFNGgGKs1L9_fFFs/s400/IMG_1243.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650779029456669058" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">When I saw this space when I was looking at the house, I knew immediately what I was going to do with it. It just screamed built in shelving. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>So now, who knows how many weeks, 4 trips to Home Depot and 2 trips to Walmart (because I just couldn't handle going to Home Depot a 5th time that week) here are my shelves.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BsV_iVaZiUPNpLU_hfmuM0Kxr-qPPbDyVWVfBov8G3mKjFyV8dbY7hmJYxVXqavLTPBKXjDiCeXCGZ4T1SOQMtTz7yJqMap-k4LhqYgJt5EqCKYvx7rKKl-cBc96KD23OSBqhOhRKRI/s1600/IMG_1278.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BsV_iVaZiUPNpLU_hfmuM0Kxr-qPPbDyVWVfBov8G3mKjFyV8dbY7hmJYxVXqavLTPBKXjDiCeXCGZ4T1SOQMtTz7yJqMap-k4LhqYgJt5EqCKYvx7rKKl-cBc96KD23OSBqhOhRKRI/s400/IMG_1278.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650778600633284594" /></a><br /><div>If you read a blog that says 'slap a couple coats of primer, paint, polyurethane and done' or something like that be wary. Very very wary. I had started a post where I carried on about how much more work this was than that. Aren't you glad I <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#00000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">forgot that I wrote</span></span> decided to spare you of that?</div><div><br /></div><div>My shelves have 4 coats of primer, wood filler, spackle, 3 coats of paint and 2 coats of polyurethane. Now to figure out how long it takes, each coat actually has to be done in 2 phases. You do one side, let it dry, flip it over and do the other side. So pretty much a day per coat. Well with the primer it went a bit faster but with the paint and polyurethane it was a day per coat. Not to mention the spackle and wood filler need time to dry as well. You do the math. </div><div><br /></div><div>And that's just the painting. Maybe it's just me, but levelling the shelves is a royal pain due to the angle on the left side. And if you're off by 1/4", suddenly your board length is off by almost 1/2", which really sucks. </div><div><br /></div><div>Before you start a project like this, you should check what's behind your walls. I assumed they were all wood studs. Well, that wall on the left is not the case. Apparently there is a metal stud in there. Wood drill bits will not get through a metal stud. Guess how I figured that one out. Needless to say, there are a few extra holes in the wall.... fortunately the boards and trim hide them well enough that I don't care any more. Of course at this point, as long as they don't fall down, I'm probably ready to call them good enough, at least for a while.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another trip to Walmart got me the Bankers boxes and now it looks like this</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69kWvsLjMpQhDqM1fCXAxnw5zH82Wba_9GKzioR2f2EN-jj1LYx1Y51ARiu6HbEqafqL06sh0o_DTW7YQZ32ARoGHvyjDSSToN65vtncatt9lfMDWCN3bWDH6i1zI-gfdyTAk8TCRDvA/s1600/IMG_1282.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69kWvsLjMpQhDqM1fCXAxnw5zH82Wba_9GKzioR2f2EN-jj1LYx1Y51ARiu6HbEqafqL06sh0o_DTW7YQZ32ARoGHvyjDSSToN65vtncatt9lfMDWCN3bWDH6i1zI-gfdyTAk8TCRDvA/s400/IMG_1282.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650778595305865826" /></a>And yes, there is a reason why every picture is cut off on the left side. I didn't say everything was unpacked.....</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, back to trying to dry out my carpet in the basement. Sigh.</div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-19432961990223721002011-09-09T16:10:00.002-04:002011-09-10T20:23:32.133-04:00Cinnamon Ice Cream<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1Q1mw4II3gFLpyl0fvNxv8nMou0sCNbZMsZbxkSpupx0ZJrM9OE8dpkHd-RBg7NP-qtWMxiOIrT8txLR0VExm-eD0tk0dAZtTq2SYtFi8kyHtwQnaEnz_6eF0JWL6Gy-ZXGc35fvco0/s1600/IMG_1284.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>I just realized I never posted this recipe. Apparently I haven't posted a bunch of my basic recipes. Because I keep coming here to find my recipes and can't find them. And I'm too lazy to go through my recipe 'file' to find them. Sigh. Well, fortunately I remember this one enough to do it/make it up.<div><br /></div><div>This recipe comes out pretty cinnamony. If you are a normal person, you may want to cut back the amount of cinnamon, like in half. When I tested it after it had steeped I thought it was way too cinnamony and that I should've checked the recipe rather than going off memory from probably 2 years ago. Whoops. But after it's frozen, the flavor isn't as strong so I think this is a pretty good amount. </div><div><br /></div><div>It also has a pretty high fat content so it coats your mouth like a premium ice cream should but if you have a different ice cream base that you like better, you can of course use that but this is the one I chose today.</div><div><br /></div><div>I like it drizzled with honey but it's also good straight up.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1Q1mw4II3gFLpyl0fvNxv8nMou0sCNbZMsZbxkSpupx0ZJrM9OE8dpkHd-RBg7NP-qtWMxiOIrT8txLR0VExm-eD0tk0dAZtTq2SYtFi8kyHtwQnaEnz_6eF0JWL6Gy-ZXGc35fvco0/s400/IMG_1284.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650890957375983506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Cinnamon Ice Cream</div><div><br /></div><div>2 cinnamon sticks</div><div>1 tbsp ground cinnamon</div><div>1 cup sugar</div><div>a pinch of salt</div><div>4 cups light cream (or 3 cups cream and 1 cup milk, or 2 cups half and half and 2 cups milk or whatever other combination you like)</div><div>5 egg yolks</div><div><br /></div><div>Put the cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon, sugar, salt and cream in a pot and heat over medium until it comes to a simmer. Turn down to low and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Slowly the egg yolks with the cream mixture and then return to the pot. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, until it coats the back of a spoon. Strain mixture into a bowl and chill overnight. Churn in your ice cream maker. Freeze. </div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-19750279864572770162011-09-02T22:48:00.000-04:002011-09-02T22:48:00.165-04:00Decapitated Giant Lego Men<div>So I was intending for my next post to be lots of pics of my house after everything is unpacked and stuff. Or of the built in shelving that I am putting in, all shiny and happy and pretty. As the title suggests, that's not what this post is. 4 trips to Home Depot and the shelves still aren't done.... but I think I have everything now.... I hope... Of course I said that after each Home Depot trip so I guess we'll see. And I need these shelves so I can unpack boxes and put stuff in places. At one point it made sense to build the shelving rather than buy some random shelf.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>So I decided to do something else. Why finish that project when I can start something else instead?</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Now before you even consider thinking that I am creative and came up with a cute thing, I definitely stole this from someone else. Right down to the spray paint. And if I hadn't closed the window, I would give credit where credit is due but I don't remember and I don't feel like trying to find it.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>So here are my decapitated giant lego men.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiwU5IiIGVZoTfdj8tkNOxZ8AaqI2v1-9KVG2OjoLiW49Yqkhu-msJCwN-mcKwLMyCWdPx5i6N_ttO5Md2sybBxxjynrb3qLiPpUPw4rSgRKTo3zu7WGxkGz4EfFd2YZ1c_frCPuazJM/s1600/IMG_1275.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiwU5IiIGVZoTfdj8tkNOxZ8AaqI2v1-9KVG2OjoLiW49Yqkhu-msJCwN-mcKwLMyCWdPx5i6N_ttO5Md2sybBxxjynrb3qLiPpUPw4rSgRKTo3zu7WGxkGz4EfFd2YZ1c_frCPuazJM/s400/IMG_1275.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647914402917679346" /></a>One will be a candy dish at work. Not entirely decided what the other two will be.<div>
<br /></div><div>PS That is not some random crap stuck on my counter on the left side of the picture. It's the granite. I swear. I even checked when I saw it in the picture.</div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-49340719934143489362011-08-20T07:31:00.003-04:002011-08-20T08:02:46.272-04:00Linen Closet<div style="text-align: left;">Project #1 in my new house: Painting the linen closet. When I moved in, it was completely usable but not pretty.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Before: Bare drywall and particle board</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlnXHmWc8hoNd0nbf4bFa7GyN3jmi5xU6rQZw__z2nEfxv8Vw65oAZncZYiOaDQUwIcqufqyLbH_5iOte7zrh0EQgDFAH08K-nZo7_HKQ33XZO9CxjuNX_QQ2dQaNj6Ek8cdT0bLaSs4/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88x2CbJs1Exr0OLj7KUQGdjNKa0v5IuivsproB3SPzNHwXJYUD9ItfbcdZY3wzLeUAgPbtrNxO-bTTT3B9tYJ3b6W-78BKMDr2F4qc_AJM-Nt8hNW3zf9JudOjubaQlwHFd4OGI1vnug/s1600/IMG_1228.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88x2CbJs1Exr0OLj7KUQGdjNKa0v5IuivsproB3SPzNHwXJYUD9ItfbcdZY3wzLeUAgPbtrNxO-bTTT3B9tYJ3b6W-78BKMDr2F4qc_AJM-Nt8hNW3zf9JudOjubaQlwHFd4OGI1vnug/s400/IMG_1228.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642899718045603010" /></a>While I guess I could've just put my stuff in and then I'd be closer to unpacked but I decided I needed to paint it first. So that's what I did. And that probably explains why there are still boxes everywhere.
<br /><div>
<br /></div><div>I had to trim the boards down a bit. The fit of the shelves was really tight before the paint. As in use a hammer to get it out tight. I was rather confused for a bit. Apparently the closet is not quite square. Who builds a closet that isn't square? By square I mean 90 degree angles, not L=W. Because lots of closets aren't squares. Usually they are rectangles. Why am I still typing?</div><div>
<br /></div><div>So I trimmed off about 3/8" off the boards. By I trimmed, I mean I had J trim with the table saw at work. The boards are square (90 degree angles) so they don't fit 100% perfect but oh well.
<br /><div>
<br /></div><div>After: 3 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint later.
<br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlnXHmWc8hoNd0nbf4bFa7GyN3jmi5xU6rQZw__z2nEfxv8Vw65oAZncZYiOaDQUwIcqufqyLbH_5iOte7zrh0EQgDFAH08K-nZo7_HKQ33XZO9CxjuNX_QQ2dQaNj6Ek8cdT0bLaSs4/s400/IMG_1267.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642899719705924978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Yes, that is a fan that was blowing on the closet to help it dry. No, it didn't bother me enough to move it and retake the picture.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">
<br /></span></div><div>Lesson of the day: Buy decent paint. Bought a quart of Kilz Casual Colors Semi-Gloss Interior/Exterior paint at walmart for $5. Used it as is since I was going for a crisp white. The paint has no coverage. I may end up repainting it again with better paint eventually but I give up for now.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>And when you do that many coats of paint, they take forever to dry. Especially in the summer and the humidity is through the roof. As in 48 hours+ with a fan blowing on it and it is still a bit tacky. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Also, it's a pain in the butt to paint the inside of a linen closet. The closet goes up another couple feet or so above the door frame. And I wasn't going to just paint the back and sides even though no one will ever see the inside of the wall above the door. The door is too narrow for a step ladder so I stood on a bar stool inside the closet. Every time I moved, I'd get paint in my hair or on my arm, etc.</div><div>
<br /></div></div></div><div>Oh well. At least it's painted and I can put stuff in it now. On to the next project.</div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3717616711223690577.post-38635923609324704052011-07-13T19:26:00.001-04:002011-07-13T21:44:02.674-04:00I'm baaaaack<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4jUY8HZH9fNCX1q544W0MbgoZVD38KQmi7FYDlbgMyFA7wNEIQ7NhIhn74q53ZcjMwT7LvqhGeeGHi0u0ljVj78AYomi2RW_jNW5_62kohp4RTRiSDjmStlWwWiLER8fUvlCJqKaK3A/s1600/leffc3443-m3x.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>*chirp chirp*<div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Hellooooooooooooo</div></div><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Hellooooooooooooo</span></span></div></div></div><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Hellooooooooooooo</span></span></div></div></div><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Hellooooooooooooo</span></span></div></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Hellooooooooooooo</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Anyone out there?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>That was an echo, by the way. In case you're wondering.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So I figure the only people who might read this are people who accidentally subscribed to it in a reader and never got around to deleting it. So you probably didn't notice that I haven't blogged anyway because you have 10000 other things in your reader and this isn't exactly anyone's top blog.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I'll explain my absence anyway. Because I know you care deeply. hah. I amuse myself.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm lazy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Did you really think there was going to be more of an explanation than that? Well then clearly you haven't actually been reading my blog.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have a few excuses to go with it. I got a new job. Moved out of my old house. Sold my old house. Lived in a hotel. Couldn't afford the hotel. Lived in a short term rental house. Might be getting kicked out of short term rental. Buying a new house. But really, I haven't posted anything because I'm lazy.</div><div><br /></div><div>But, I'm back. At least for the moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I have a few thoughts with regards to my new house. I figure I'll throw them out there and see if anyone has any suggestions. I'll post more pics of the house... eventually.... after I actually own it.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Anyone used a reel mower? How hard are they to push? How well do they mow? My property is 0.1 acres and I'm figuring I'm going to turn most of it into a garden so I don't need much. And a reel mower is small and light and won't take up much space in the garage.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. Building raised beds. How tall do they need to be to do you any good? I'm thinking I'm going to make them with either 1x12 or 2x12 boards, depending on my mood and the price so maybe 10" tall. Is that high enough? I am thinking I'm going to paint them to keep them from rotting. The other option I'm considering is concrete blocks. The raised bed kits are insanely expensive. It needs to be as cheap as possible. With all my savings getting eaten by the down payment, the budget's gonna be pretty tight.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Right now the landcaping on the house is very nice. I'm thinking of ways to ruin it. I am thinking I want to gradually replace the front yard with perennial edibles. I think raised beds would look weird in the front yard. And then build raised beds in the back for annuals (a lot of the stuff I grew last year and more)</div><div><ol><li>I think I want to build a strawberry bed in the front yard. Maybe as a patch in the middle of the main part of the lawn?</li><li>I would like to put something else with the strawberries, so it's less farm like. Any suggestions? I am thinking a tree or bush. I want an interesting fruit, the ones I've thought of so far are blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, figs, persimmon, lychee but a lot of these will be tough to grow in zone 6. It probably should also not look ridiculous as a front yard plant in the middle of a strawberry bed. Although according to some random documents I read on my town, you cannot plant fruiting trees, nut trees or flowering bushes. I'm deciding how to interpret that.</li><li>I'm also thinking about interplanting some herbs with the strawberries: thyme, rosemary, mint. Maybe start them indoors through the winter and plant them in the ground in the spring.</li><li>I also want to grow asparagus. Maybe a row of asparagus next to a row of strawberries running from the curb to the fence on the left side of the house?</li></ol></div><div><br /></div><div>4. I really want some form of citrus tree. Again, in zone 6 my options are limited. Maybe a potted Meyer Lemon tree? </div><div><br /></div><div>5. I guess I'm accepting that I'm not going to be growing anything this year but I can have everything ready for next year. Build raised beds, get a good compost going, turn the soil, kill the grass....</div><div><br /></div><div>6. I want a compost heap. I figure in a back corner of the backyard. I am too cheap to buy one of the fancy ones. I've seen lots of homemade ones made from pallets that I may try my hand at.</div><div><br /></div><div>7. I'll be repainting a number of rooms. I think I want to paint the upstairs rooms gray. Of course the last time I tried that it came out closer to light blueish purple than gray. So I'm taking recommendations on color. </div><div><br /></div><div>8. Is it a bad idea to buy a 5 gallon bucket of primer? I figure I'll need 2 gallons to prime the 2nd floor (currently offwhite and pink, I think), at least 1 gallon for rooms (1 of the rooms has kids coloring marks on the wall) on the 1st floor and another gallon for the basement (currently bright yellow). And anyone have a reason why I should choose one brand over another? While we're at it, I'm taking recommendations for the other room colors as well. Of course I might decide halfway through that I just don't care enough and leave the room their current color or if I manage to prime them before I give up, white.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a couple pictures from the original listing, because I know you are anxious to see the house. Hopefully I'm not jinxing the purchase by posting these and calling it mine now. Cross your fingers that nothing will screw up my closing date! </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4jUY8HZH9fNCX1q544W0MbgoZVD38KQmi7FYDlbgMyFA7wNEIQ7NhIhn74q53ZcjMwT7LvqhGeeGHi0u0ljVj78AYomi2RW_jNW5_62kohp4RTRiSDjmStlWwWiLER8fUvlCJqKaK3A/s1600/leffc3443-m3x.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbs6MG3POooqwRdvUI8Pcj9NR9x6V-aA93Wi7akkMuD3QaIPZDEXlcPtUW26g5uaWm-pojPv3qHlYUqYBAX2Q3wTEw14FIiZmfwE0XauQuyO2JAWMirGzMn3qhlzJsYnb6uHT0GeR3rw/s1600/leffc3443-m14x.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbs6MG3POooqwRdvUI8Pcj9NR9x6V-aA93Wi7akkMuD3QaIPZDEXlcPtUW26g5uaWm-pojPv3qHlYUqYBAX2Q3wTEw14FIiZmfwE0XauQuyO2JAWMirGzMn3qhlzJsYnb6uHT0GeR3rw/s400/leffc3443-m14x.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625981709821144610" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">How sexy is that kitchen? You know you are jealous. Think of all the yumminess that's gonna come from this kitchen.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4jUY8HZH9fNCX1q544W0MbgoZVD38KQmi7FYDlbgMyFA7wNEIQ7NhIhn74q53ZcjMwT7LvqhGeeGHi0u0ljVj78AYomi2RW_jNW5_62kohp4RTRiSDjmStlWwWiLER8fUvlCJqKaK3A/s400/leffc3443-m3x.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625981711993786066" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746600131596459987noreply@blogger.com1