It's no secret I've been struggling w/ Blogger lately. No.Love.Lost.
This isn't overly formal, but I'm flirting with a Wordpress Blog .... and for the time being, will be making my posts over there. I have things to say, but really am hating Blogger and don't want to fight with how obnoxious it's being.
To see my latest musings, please CLICK HERE to see my Wordpress blog.
This isn't totally how I want it to be right yet, but it's a start. I'll have to do some tweaking, some HTML editing and playing around a bit more. Oh, and it doesn't seem to want to import my 'old' posts from THIS blog ... so I have to figure that out. But in the meantime, I'll be chillin' over there. Cool?
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Getting to know the little boy ...
As we've been preparing for baby, it's involved sifting through lots of items we've just tossed into closets and forgotten about.
Yesterday, I was going through some of the last items in our built-ins. I was pulling out all of Erik's baseball cards.
Now, my father likes to pull old things out and throw them away. Erik isn't an extreme hoarder or anything, and I can't bear to toss out his baseball cards. That's his option.
It was a little sweet, looking at some of the items as I pulled them out. There was an old Chiefs poster from who knows when. You could mark the wins/losses. About half of the season was marked. The rest ... maybe the Chiefs went on a losing bender and Erik lost interest? Or didn't want the visual reminder?
Anyhow, it seems sort of ... cute.
I never knew Erik as a boy or even as a young man. His major formative years were behind him by the time our paths crossed. Yet, in seeing some of these items, I feel that I get a glimpse of the boy he must have been. At least, it explains his undying affection for teams that break his heart year after year.
At the same time, as I gaze on pieces of his past, I can't help but look to our future. Knowing I'll get to see some of the boy he was in our own baby. Boy or girl? We don't know; it doesn't really matter. I'm sure I'll see some of his childhood come out in our own child.
Side note: Nope, no photos to share with this blog post either ... the new Blogger is so awful, especially w/ photos ... so you'll have to deal w/ this for now. I am working on some changes, and once things are as I would like them, I'll post it here. Sound good?
Yesterday, I was going through some of the last items in our built-ins. I was pulling out all of Erik's baseball cards.
Now, my father likes to pull old things out and throw them away. Erik isn't an extreme hoarder or anything, and I can't bear to toss out his baseball cards. That's his option.
It was a little sweet, looking at some of the items as I pulled them out. There was an old Chiefs poster from who knows when. You could mark the wins/losses. About half of the season was marked. The rest ... maybe the Chiefs went on a losing bender and Erik lost interest? Or didn't want the visual reminder?
Anyhow, it seems sort of ... cute.
I never knew Erik as a boy or even as a young man. His major formative years were behind him by the time our paths crossed. Yet, in seeing some of these items, I feel that I get a glimpse of the boy he must have been. At least, it explains his undying affection for teams that break his heart year after year.
At the same time, as I gaze on pieces of his past, I can't help but look to our future. Knowing I'll get to see some of the boy he was in our own baby. Boy or girl? We don't know; it doesn't really matter. I'm sure I'll see some of his childhood come out in our own child.
Side note: Nope, no photos to share with this blog post either ... the new Blogger is so awful, especially w/ photos ... so you'll have to deal w/ this for now. I am working on some changes, and once things are as I would like them, I'll post it here. Sound good?
Monday, April 30, 2012
On the Sidelines
I confess, when I watch televised sporting events with Erik, I'm usually watching the fringe action. In football, when a player runs out of bounds into the sidelines, I am looking at the gaggle of people on the sidelines to see if I recognize a familiar face. Hey, that's where the photographers are! :)
SO, for those of you who are interested, the Diocese of Salina is having a new bishop installed and ordained tomorrow (YAY!!!!). The good Lord willing, I'll be photographing it (ya know, as long as this baby doesn't initiate labor between now and 2 p.m. tomorrow).
The event is a by invitation only one, but if you're interested in checking it out, there are several ways to take advantage of technology to do so (if you've never seen a bishop being ordained, I suggest you watch; it's pretty neat).
Option 1: EWTN Audio feed (click HERE) - 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Option 2: Watch LIVE on the Diocese of Sailna's Website (click HERE ... I believe the red link on the right column is the correct one; you may also try THIS link, but it appears to be 'broken' for this exact moment; I suspect it will be live tomorrow) - 2 p.m Tuesday
Option 3: LIVE at 2 p.m. on EWTN cable channel; Replay of the ordination at 11 p.m. Tuesday.
You may also check out the special section on our Bishop-Elect at the Online Catholic Register HERE.
SO, for those of you who are interested, the Diocese of Salina is having a new bishop installed and ordained tomorrow (YAY!!!!). The good Lord willing, I'll be photographing it (ya know, as long as this baby doesn't initiate labor between now and 2 p.m. tomorrow).
The event is a by invitation only one, but if you're interested in checking it out, there are several ways to take advantage of technology to do so (if you've never seen a bishop being ordained, I suggest you watch; it's pretty neat).
Option 1: EWTN Audio feed (click HERE) - 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Option 2: Watch LIVE on the Diocese of Sailna's Website (click HERE ... I believe the red link on the right column is the correct one; you may also try THIS link, but it appears to be 'broken' for this exact moment; I suspect it will be live tomorrow) - 2 p.m Tuesday
Option 3: LIVE at 2 p.m. on EWTN cable channel; Replay of the ordination at 11 p.m. Tuesday.
You may also check out the special section on our Bishop-Elect at the Online Catholic Register HERE.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Peek A Boo!
So, yes, Erik and I are 'with' child, or as I say the child is 'with' us. :) We've been extremely hush-hush with this whole thing.
BEING pregnant hasn't been particularly difficult; I'm thankful and know we have been blessed with a fairly symptom-free pregnancy. Yet there have been other factors that have made it difficult (hence, why we have a LOT of sonogram photos to look at/share). If you see me in person, I'll be happy to share ... yet I'm still trying to puzzle over how much I feel comfortable sharing in the cyber world.
Baby is due in May. When? Well, that's anybody's guess based on several other extra factors (see above paragraph).
My prayer for right now is this: I am scheduled to photograph our new bishop being ordained and installed on Tuesday. I'd LOVE to get through that, edit my photos and get them sent off before baby comes. We've had several chat w/ baby about this, and are hoping baby agrees to keep a cookin' until at least Weds., May 2. Baby'd still be a bit early then, but my selfish side would really like to shoot this assignment before Baby arrives.
Of course, we'll be excited/happy, regardless of when Baby decides to arrive. :)
Oh, and the orange room (HERE), the middle bedroom (HERE) ... Baby's room. We've had a crib since late October, yet it's taken us awhile to get it put together. It's mostly done now, I just need to sift through and move some stuff around ... THEN I'll be ready/willing/able to share photos. :)
Friday, April 27, 2012
#105 — Kitchen/Dining: Before/After (and some during!)
Where to even begin with this project? Let's see .... let's start with the general before/after of our dining room. It looks the most different.
First, this is an item I can check off of my bucket list (#105)! We didn't have the floors redone as we initially intended, but the cold, ugly tile is gone. Mission ACCOMPLISHED! :)
But before I begin - anyone else HATE THE NEW GOOGLE BLOGGER??? This new dashboard/compose/etc is a HUGE inconvenience. Seriosuly. I want the old one back. This new version is awful. It's taken me 15x as long to make this post as it 'normally' would. :( :( :( Makes me want to go check out Wordpress.
You'll notice the carpet has been removed from the dining room and now the flooring is the same from the kitchen into the dining room.
It took me a long time to do ANYTHING with the hole in the wall because I didn't want to sand it down after we mudded it. See how much of a mess it made?
We next attacked the carpet. We knew there were hardwood floors under it. Our buddy, Mike, came with this magic tool for pulling up carpet tack strips, which made the job SO much easier! Getting all of the flooring up and the baseboards up, too, took about an hour (which shocked us; we thought it'd take longer)
Once again, I HATE THE NEW GOOGLE BLOGGER ... it's so annoying an inconvenient to use!!! I've been working on this post for 45+ minutes now. Seriously - NOT photo friendly. :(
We knew there were nice hardwood floors underneath, and when the carpet came up, they weren't in terrible shape. It's just that we wanted the floors to be the same, and the tile in the kitchen would not have come up easily ... so we had to cover them up!
Erik knows how to work the vacuum. :)
The progress of our dining room floor.
The fellas with the skills that made it happen. Yes, everyone says 'you can do it yourself' but I know better. Our marriage could probably survive many home projects, but I'm not sure that it could survive installing laminate floors when neither of us knew what we were doing.
For example, the pros knew how to wiggle the laminate under the door frames ... something I'd have been clueless about.
Bailey had to go stay at the kennel while the project was going on; she couldn't have handled the excitement and would have been UNDER FOOT. But she likes the before/after. :)
LOVING it!
The trim looks snazzy! Another example of something I don't have the skills to do!
We had to move the dog's food/water b/c she makes a bit of a splashy mess when she drinks. It was starting to warp the boards a bit. But it's near a wall and not *too* noticeable ... besides, now there is some 'damage' to the floor so if/when something happens to it, no need to freak out; it's already been hurt a little bit.
*sigh* this post has taken me SO MUCH longer than usual to write b/c of Google's new format on the back end. It's awful and unless I fan find a way to go back, I'll have to switch to another blog provider. I don't have this kind of time to dedicate to each and every post. What a PITA. Seriously!
If you missed it, there is a bit of a progression for this project.
Post 1: Karen goes insane and tears down a portion of the kitchen wall
Post 2: Uh-oh. What have I done?
Post 3: Finally, some forward progress
Post 4: Vents have been moved!!!
Post 5: Painting complete! :)
Post 5: Carpet is gone
First, this is an item I can check off of my bucket list (#105)! We didn't have the floors redone as we initially intended, but the cold, ugly tile is gone. Mission ACCOMPLISHED! :)
But before I begin - anyone else HATE THE NEW GOOGLE BLOGGER??? This new dashboard/compose/etc is a HUGE inconvenience. Seriosuly. I want the old one back. This new version is awful. It's taken me 15x as long to make this post as it 'normally' would. :( :( :( Makes me want to go check out Wordpress.
You'll notice the carpet has been removed from the dining room and now the flooring is the same from the kitchen into the dining room.
It took me a long time to do ANYTHING with the hole in the wall because I didn't want to sand it down after we mudded it. See how much of a mess it made?
Of course, the mess was awful, but we kept saying to ourselves "it's going to look amazing when it's finished" ... and we think it does.
In addition to making a giant mess of the floor (and every other surface in the area), we took the baseboards off. Those guys were old and we figured if we were getting new floors, might as well put new baseboards in, too.
We next attacked the carpet. We knew there were hardwood floors under it. Our buddy, Mike, came with this magic tool for pulling up carpet tack strips, which made the job SO much easier! Getting all of the flooring up and the baseboards up, too, took about an hour (which shocked us; we thought it'd take longer)
Once again, I HATE THE NEW GOOGLE BLOGGER ... it's so annoying an inconvenient to use!!! I've been working on this post for 45+ minutes now. Seriously - NOT photo friendly. :(
We knew there were nice hardwood floors underneath, and when the carpet came up, they weren't in terrible shape. It's just that we wanted the floors to be the same, and the tile in the kitchen would not have come up easily ... so we had to cover them up!
Erik knows how to work the vacuum. :)
The progress of our dining room floor.
The fellas with the skills that made it happen. Yes, everyone says 'you can do it yourself' but I know better. Our marriage could probably survive many home projects, but I'm not sure that it could survive installing laminate floors when neither of us knew what we were doing.
For example, the pros knew how to wiggle the laminate under the door frames ... something I'd have been clueless about.
Bailey had to go stay at the kennel while the project was going on; she couldn't have handled the excitement and would have been UNDER FOOT. But she likes the before/after. :)
LOVING it!
The trim looks snazzy! Another example of something I don't have the skills to do!
We had to move the dog's food/water b/c she makes a bit of a splashy mess when she drinks. It was starting to warp the boards a bit. But it's near a wall and not *too* noticeable ... besides, now there is some 'damage' to the floor so if/when something happens to it, no need to freak out; it's already been hurt a little bit.
*sigh* this post has taken me SO MUCH longer than usual to write b/c of Google's new format on the back end. It's awful and unless I fan find a way to go back, I'll have to switch to another blog provider. I don't have this kind of time to dedicate to each and every post. What a PITA. Seriously!
If you missed it, there is a bit of a progression for this project.
Post 1: Karen goes insane and tears down a portion of the kitchen wall
Post 2: Uh-oh. What have I done?
Post 3: Finally, some forward progress
Post 4: Vents have been moved!!!
Post 5: Painting complete! :)
Post 5: Carpet is gone
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Kitchen nest
Remember the hole in our kitchen floor?
We put a rug over it to keep stuff from falling down there, and our kitty has decided it's a prime little nesting spot to take a nap. She never liked it before the vent was removed, so we were a bit puzzled.
Of course, it's gone now. Our floors are 100% complete, and I just need to get myself organized enough (and the counters presentable enough for photos!) to take some photos and share them! :)
We put a rug over it to keep stuff from falling down there, and our kitty has decided it's a prime little nesting spot to take a nap. She never liked it before the vent was removed, so we were a bit puzzled.
Of course, it's gone now. Our floors are 100% complete, and I just need to get myself organized enough (and the counters presentable enough for photos!) to take some photos and share them! :)
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Homemade Pizza
A month or so ago, I was watching one of the cooking channels at the gym. I saw a recipe for a crust that wasn't originally intended for pizza, but figured I'd try to make it work. The key is a lack of yeast and sugar. A tall order, right?
I have used the crust from THIS RECIPE twice. It cooks OK, but doesn't really crisp up. The first time, I baked it at 350 or so. The next time, 425-450. Still not really CRISP .... any tips/tricks, guys?
SO, to make my pizza, I used my Red Sauce — Recipe HERE. Then used the toppings of my choice.
Before:
After:
The crust wasn't really crisp/crispy and it needed to be eaten w/ a fork ... how can I improve this?
I have used the crust from THIS RECIPE twice. It cooks OK, but doesn't really crisp up. The first time, I baked it at 350 or so. The next time, 425-450. Still not really CRISP .... any tips/tricks, guys?
SO, to make my pizza, I used my Red Sauce — Recipe HERE. Then used the toppings of my choice.
Before:
After:
The crust wasn't really crisp/crispy and it needed to be eaten w/ a fork ... how can I improve this?
Monday, April 16, 2012
Painting secret
Erik and I have unanimously decided that painting trim is the worst.thing.ever. EVER.
I did, however, learn a little tip/trick last summer while being an adult volunteer for Prayer & Action.
Yes, that's a plastic tupperware-like container. And yes, that's a Ziploc bag.
Pour your paint in the container with a lid. Paint from there. If you're doing 2 coats or just don't want to do it all at once, then you can put the lid on and walk away from the project.
But what about the brush? Enter, Ziploc bag.
Put your wet (yes, brush w/ paint on it) into the bag. Squeeze the air out. Seal. You can come back hours or even DAYS later and the brush should be moist and you should be able to continue to paint (this means you don't have to wash it out after every single use if you're doing lots of window frames over several days!).
Best.Thing.Ever.
I did, however, learn a little tip/trick last summer while being an adult volunteer for Prayer & Action.
Yes, that's a plastic tupperware-like container. And yes, that's a Ziploc bag.
Pour your paint in the container with a lid. Paint from there. If you're doing 2 coats or just don't want to do it all at once, then you can put the lid on and walk away from the project.
But what about the brush? Enter, Ziploc bag.
Put your wet (yes, brush w/ paint on it) into the bag. Squeeze the air out. Seal. You can come back hours or even DAYS later and the brush should be moist and you should be able to continue to paint (this means you don't have to wash it out after every single use if you're doing lots of window frames over several days!).
Best.Thing.Ever.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Rain Barres, 2012 :)
:) Our rain barrels are set up! :)
Seriously, after laboring for a few years over the best way to do these, they're really easy to assemble, now that I've worked out all of the kinks.
In fact, for anyone interested in making your own, go HERE for probably the best instructions I've seen.
The *ONE* thing the link doesn't address is linking multiple barrels. That was the biggest struggle I had.
My conclusion about overflows is pretty simple. You gotta have the primary barrel higher than any of the others, as you can see in the above photo. Your barrels that will store are lowest. The end barrel has to be a little lower than the primary barrel. The idea is that the excess water will flow down from the main one and deposit in the middle and flow through to the last one. I do not have an 'overflow' on the main barrel or second one. I have that on the last one only (it's more easily seen in the top photo here, though).
A few more tricks:
I didn't want my barrels on the side of the house where the downspout was, but around the corner. So I used the flexible downspouts. If it gets really windy, they won't stay, so I use bungee cord to secure them in place. This is really a key element for me.
This is my overflow barrel. The second in line. I used 1.5 inch PVC to go from the primary barrel to the final one. Those are connected through the side. Any barrels in between are not. They simply have the spigot in the bottom and mesh on top. The joint is moveable and when the barrel is full, I can move the entire elbow mechanism into the UP position so water flows to the last barrel, but not into the ones in the middle. Does that make sense?
Friday, April 6, 2012
Divine Mercy Novena! :)
Welcome to Good Friday!
Today starts one of my favorite devotions - The Divine Mercy Novena (Info HERE. It consists of prayers said for 9 days and concludes on Divine Mercy Sunday, one of my favorite Holy Days of the year.
This is from St. Faustina's Diary - which is an insanely LONG book, but really amazing if you can take the time to read it (I honestly think it took me 9 months - it's LONG!).
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Middle Bedroom project!
Erik's putting together this super shelving unit for the middle bedroom! The photo shows a pretty accurate color of what it is. :)
The arrival of this shelf was a big deal. I ordered it from IKEA. Well, I didn't really order it b/c their shipping rates are staggering. But my brother picked it up for me in Chicago and carted it back here. Thanks to Paul! :)
There will certainly be more on this later!
Currently, there is construction material in this room from our flooring install ... which is SO CLOSE to being complete! :) Once we get all of the floor stuff finished and the middle room free of it, I'll be able to finish up things in there - and I can hardly wait!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Recipe: Bacon-and-Egg Muffins
Ooooh, goodness.
I'm going on year 3 of my 'no sugar' existence. I'll confess: The last year I've been more lax. I may or may not eat some breakfast cereal containing sugar (note: the only one I've found sans sugar = shredded wheat, which gets OLD. Fast.).
Overall, though, I don't consume nearly the quantity that the 'average' American does. I do try to keep my consumption down. I just feel SO much better.
Awhile ago, a friend was asking if it's rough to find recipes/things to eat. Honestly, no. I'm not sure if the recipes were always this way, but it seems since I've been looking, in my home decor/cooking magazines, there have been a LOT of recipes I can eat. Or ones with 1-2 Tbsp of sugar, which I don't mind or just eliminate.
Just yesterday, I found another recipe I cannot wait to try! Bacon-and-Egg Muffins! It's essentially a corn muffin w/ eggs in it and topped with a piece of bacon. Sounds great! And I've found a bacon that is not cured in sugar, so this recipe will work perfectly. :)
I can think of SO many ways/reasons this would be a great breakfast: quickly getting kids out the door to school, leaving early and grabbing something on the go, a good before-skiing breakfast. Seriously - I think I'm going to love this one!
(I would have made this yesterday morning, except we were out of milk!)
I'm going on year 3 of my 'no sugar' existence. I'll confess: The last year I've been more lax. I may or may not eat some breakfast cereal containing sugar (note: the only one I've found sans sugar = shredded wheat, which gets OLD. Fast.).
Overall, though, I don't consume nearly the quantity that the 'average' American does. I do try to keep my consumption down. I just feel SO much better.
Awhile ago, a friend was asking if it's rough to find recipes/things to eat. Honestly, no. I'm not sure if the recipes were always this way, but it seems since I've been looking, in my home decor/cooking magazines, there have been a LOT of recipes I can eat. Or ones with 1-2 Tbsp of sugar, which I don't mind or just eliminate.
Just yesterday, I found another recipe I cannot wait to try! Bacon-and-Egg Muffins! It's essentially a corn muffin w/ eggs in it and topped with a piece of bacon. Sounds great! And I've found a bacon that is not cured in sugar, so this recipe will work perfectly. :)
I can think of SO many ways/reasons this would be a great breakfast: quickly getting kids out the door to school, leaving early and grabbing something on the go, a good before-skiing breakfast. Seriously - I think I'm going to love this one!
(I would have made this yesterday morning, except we were out of milk!)
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Easter Eats - Ham-Asparagus Strata
Last year, we hosted Easter. It was chaos. Mostly b/c I had to lead song at Mass at the same time I needed to be cooking. I left a list of notes for our moms and let them go to it. They did a smash-bang job.
This year, we're not hosting. In fact, we'll probably go to Mass, come home, put our PJs back on, and take a nap. :)
If I were hosting, however, let me tell you about what I'd serve. I'd serve Ham-Asparagus Strata - Recipe HERE. Yum, yum, YUMMIE!!!!!
Let me tell you what I love about it: It's really easy to make.
The one potential down side is that you have to refrigerate it for a minimum of 2 hours, but you can assemble it the night before, stick it in the fridge, then put it in the oven when you're ready. So on that side, it's a plus.
I've made it with asparagus and with broccoli. Erik says he prefers it w/ broccoli. I think it's great either way!
I made a few substitutions.
• Instead of sour cream, I used Greek Yogurt.
• On the cheese, I generally use whatever I have around. Often it's colby-jack.
• In place of the English muffins, I used my homemade Irish Soda Bread. TIP: I've taken to making 2-3 batches of bread at a time (yielding 4-6 loaves). Some with raisins, some plain. Then I cut it and put it in big bags in the freezer. When a recipe calls for bread/bread crumbs, I'll pull out what I need and let it warm on the counter prior to cooking/baking. It's worked extremely well for me!
This year, we're not hosting. In fact, we'll probably go to Mass, come home, put our PJs back on, and take a nap. :)
If I were hosting, however, let me tell you about what I'd serve. I'd serve Ham-Asparagus Strata - Recipe HERE. Yum, yum, YUMMIE!!!!!
Let me tell you what I love about it: It's really easy to make.
The one potential down side is that you have to refrigerate it for a minimum of 2 hours, but you can assemble it the night before, stick it in the fridge, then put it in the oven when you're ready. So on that side, it's a plus.
I've made it with asparagus and with broccoli. Erik says he prefers it w/ broccoli. I think it's great either way!
I made a few substitutions.
• Instead of sour cream, I used Greek Yogurt.
• On the cheese, I generally use whatever I have around. Often it's colby-jack.
• In place of the English muffins, I used my homemade Irish Soda Bread. TIP: I've taken to making 2-3 batches of bread at a time (yielding 4-6 loaves). Some with raisins, some plain. Then I cut it and put it in big bags in the freezer. When a recipe calls for bread/bread crumbs, I'll pull out what I need and let it warm on the counter prior to cooking/baking. It's worked extremely well for me!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Salad, revised
Erik loves to eat salad. His idea of a good dinner is a big salad.
I don't dislike salad, but after eating a 'salad for a meal' I am generally not full. Or, if I feel satisfied, I'm hungry an hour later. They just don't stick with me.
Recently, however, I decided to give it another try. I came across THIS recipe for chicken/squash/chickpea salad w/ tahini dressing and figured I'd give it a try. Go check out the recipe, but let me tell you what I did differently.
• Instead of squash, I used a sweet potato.
• I forgot to add the chickpeas (didn't have any on hand).
• Instead of pita chips, I took plain flour tortillas, cut them up and thew them in the oven after the chicken was done roasting. I let them stay there until they were crisp. Then added them to the salad.
• I added slivers of a red pepper. And also very thin onion slivers.
• For the dressing, I added extra lemon juice.
How was it? Smashing success! I was honestly surprised how much the salad filled me up. Even without the chickpeas. I bet with chickpeas, it would have been even MORE filling!
One of my favorite parts was the dressing ... oh how good it is! I am often scared of recipes with ingredients (like tahini) that I'm like 'what am I going to do with the rest of the jar?' .... but don't be. If you get tahini to make this dressing, you can also make hummus using tahini.
Seriously - give it a try!
I don't dislike salad, but after eating a 'salad for a meal' I am generally not full. Or, if I feel satisfied, I'm hungry an hour later. They just don't stick with me.
Recently, however, I decided to give it another try. I came across THIS recipe for chicken/squash/chickpea salad w/ tahini dressing and figured I'd give it a try. Go check out the recipe, but let me tell you what I did differently.
• Instead of squash, I used a sweet potato.
• I forgot to add the chickpeas (didn't have any on hand).
• Instead of pita chips, I took plain flour tortillas, cut them up and thew them in the oven after the chicken was done roasting. I let them stay there until they were crisp. Then added them to the salad.
• I added slivers of a red pepper. And also very thin onion slivers.
• For the dressing, I added extra lemon juice.
How was it? Smashing success! I was honestly surprised how much the salad filled me up. Even without the chickpeas. I bet with chickpeas, it would have been even MORE filling!
One of my favorite parts was the dressing ... oh how good it is! I am often scared of recipes with ingredients (like tahini) that I'm like 'what am I going to do with the rest of the jar?' .... but don't be. If you get tahini to make this dressing, you can also make hummus using tahini.
Seriously - give it a try!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Chore chart/meal planning revisited
About 4 months ago, I started a chore chart to help me stay on top of house cleaning. I have also been attempting to do a better job of meal planning.
There were pros and cons to each system, and I've made a revision I hope I will love.
Last week, I was reading a photographer's blog and the post was about being organized in your work space. About half way down the post, it showed a few photos of 'workflow' charts .... which I have several of in my own office. It had the charts behind glass, however, and utilized dry erase markers to show progress. GENIUS!
Here's what I've done ....
I printed a new copy of my cleaning/chore chart. And put it in one of those certificate frames (which perfectly fit a piece of computer paper!). I'll just use a dry erase marker to cross things off when I'm done.
The frames beneath? Remember my meal planning? Well, I left a teensy bit extra room beneath each day/chore for a meal sticker.
I picked up new Post It notes .... they have ones that are sticky on the ENTIRE back. So I wrote some of our favorite meals on them and cut them up into small pieces. I grabbed 2-4x6 frames I previously displayed photos in and grabbed some wrapping paper to spruce it up some. I actually will probably snag a little scrapbooking paper from my sis to use, but this stuff is just filler. It's red b/c while the walls are pretty tan, we will probably bring in some red touches elsewhere in the kitchen. SO, I put the extra meals on these frames when not in use.
The frames before:
So there you have it ... I'm going to give this awhile and see how I like it. I have high hopes. :)
There were pros and cons to each system, and I've made a revision I hope I will love.
Last week, I was reading a photographer's blog and the post was about being organized in your work space. About half way down the post, it showed a few photos of 'workflow' charts .... which I have several of in my own office. It had the charts behind glass, however, and utilized dry erase markers to show progress. GENIUS!
Here's what I've done ....
I printed a new copy of my cleaning/chore chart. And put it in one of those certificate frames (which perfectly fit a piece of computer paper!). I'll just use a dry erase marker to cross things off when I'm done.
The frames beneath? Remember my meal planning? Well, I left a teensy bit extra room beneath each day/chore for a meal sticker.
I picked up new Post It notes .... they have ones that are sticky on the ENTIRE back. So I wrote some of our favorite meals on them and cut them up into small pieces. I grabbed 2-4x6 frames I previously displayed photos in and grabbed some wrapping paper to spruce it up some. I actually will probably snag a little scrapbooking paper from my sis to use, but this stuff is just filler. It's red b/c while the walls are pretty tan, we will probably bring in some red touches elsewhere in the kitchen. SO, I put the extra meals on these frames when not in use.
The frames before:
So there you have it ... I'm going to give this awhile and see how I like it. I have high hopes. :)
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Dining room progress!
I took more photos with my other camera, but this is just a few quick grabs from today!
We tore the carpet up, and some of the floor was almost perfect. The rest ... as you can see, looks like there was an adhesive of some sort on it? Or maybe a bad carpet cleaning job? Who really knows?
More of the floor. It's actually very pretty. We REALLY wanted to save it ... but it doesn't seem possible. Which makes us both sad, sad, sad.
Here is why we don't think we can save the floor: The tile in the kitchen. Fortunately, we know the person Erik bought the house from ... and I asked him how he put the tile in. He said he used 'thinset' to adhere 1/4 inch backerboard to the floor. And also used 1 1/4 inch roofing nails to secure it. Then installed the tiles.
Those who I have talked with seem to think the nails would damage the floor terribly, and not be extremely repairable. Not to mention if the thinset would come up easily.
Just makes my heart SO SAD because the floors aren't in bad shape at all. Sort of makes me want to shake the fella who covered them up.
We're limiting our new flooring to the kitchen/dining rooms. Maybe there's a big plywood hole in the living room floor? But we wouldn't even see it.
Regardless, we can REALLY see how this will look with a new floor ... and are seriously excited!!!! :) :) :)
We tore the carpet up, and some of the floor was almost perfect. The rest ... as you can see, looks like there was an adhesive of some sort on it? Or maybe a bad carpet cleaning job? Who really knows?
More of the floor. It's actually very pretty. We REALLY wanted to save it ... but it doesn't seem possible. Which makes us both sad, sad, sad.
Here is why we don't think we can save the floor: The tile in the kitchen. Fortunately, we know the person Erik bought the house from ... and I asked him how he put the tile in. He said he used 'thinset' to adhere 1/4 inch backerboard to the floor. And also used 1 1/4 inch roofing nails to secure it. Then installed the tiles.
Those who I have talked with seem to think the nails would damage the floor terribly, and not be extremely repairable. Not to mention if the thinset would come up easily.
Just makes my heart SO SAD because the floors aren't in bad shape at all. Sort of makes me want to shake the fella who covered them up.
We're limiting our new flooring to the kitchen/dining rooms. Maybe there's a big plywood hole in the living room floor? But we wouldn't even see it.
Regardless, we can REALLY see how this will look with a new floor ... and are seriously excited!!!! :) :) :)
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Being married to an editor
Erik is an editor. He edits words. Everyday. On occasion, he's been known to edit school papers for my siblings. :)
Yet he also chooses photos routinely for the paper. Which one best fits/tells the story or goes with the words? Often when we're watching a movie, I'll comment when there's fantastic light. Erik has started to pick up on it, and has occasionally made comments. It makes my heart swell with pride.
At the same time, Erik is also a 'civilian' so to speak. When I'm editing photos, he's a great person to pull in and say 'which one do you like better' when I simply can't decide.
Here's a great example. Mike and I shot a wedding on Saturday and I have two very similar images. I like them both, but couldn't quite decide. So I pulled Erik in.
Honestly, I was a bit more drawn to the left image. Yet immediately, Erik said "OH NO, the right one is SO much better." He explained how much nicer he thought the bride looked when she was smiling. I tend to like somber images, but Erik is a 'civilian' in the photo world, and it's true, many people like pix of themselves smiley. It's good to have him here to remind me of that. :)
Let this serve as a reminder to me: Smiley photos have their place in the world.
Here's the lesson for you: Not ALL photos have to be smiley. Especially if/when you're dealing w/ kids.
Yet he also chooses photos routinely for the paper. Which one best fits/tells the story or goes with the words? Often when we're watching a movie, I'll comment when there's fantastic light. Erik has started to pick up on it, and has occasionally made comments. It makes my heart swell with pride.
At the same time, Erik is also a 'civilian' so to speak. When I'm editing photos, he's a great person to pull in and say 'which one do you like better' when I simply can't decide.
Here's a great example. Mike and I shot a wedding on Saturday and I have two very similar images. I like them both, but couldn't quite decide. So I pulled Erik in.
Honestly, I was a bit more drawn to the left image. Yet immediately, Erik said "OH NO, the right one is SO much better." He explained how much nicer he thought the bride looked when she was smiling. I tend to like somber images, but Erik is a 'civilian' in the photo world, and it's true, many people like pix of themselves smiley. It's good to have him here to remind me of that. :)
Let this serve as a reminder to me: Smiley photos have their place in the world.
Here's the lesson for you: Not ALL photos have to be smiley. Especially if/when you're dealing w/ kids.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Kitchen/Dining room in progress
Oh how close we're coming! Well, most of our part of the kitchen/dining project is over. The big part. We've painted the walls!
The trim you see in the background is the original color everything was ... but once I'm done w/ it, the trim will be white.
Yet seeing the dining room now, with no photos on the walls ... it feels so empty/naked! (see our dining room wall w/ photos on it HERE).
Part of me really wanted to choose a more bold color for the dining room/kitchen room. Yet because we have a variety of photos/art that we hang on our walls with a variety of colors, going with a tan/khaki color seemed to be the smartest/most versatile option.
Yes, there is no baseboard (we tore it out), and yes, there is dust ALL OVER the table. It's been a bit of a disaster zone around here lately. Yet we now are (almost) ready for the laminate floors to be installed.
No, we will not be installing the floors. I am convinced it is a home project that our marriage could not survive. After interviewing a few people, we've settled on one I feel very confident in working with.
This is how our sample looks in the dining room. A friend will come over Saturday to help me tear the carpet out. Yes, I realize the walls aren't perfect, but it's something I have decided I am willing to live with. Seriously. Sanding and mudding and sanding is a disaster (see above dust-covered dining room table). I decided "good enough" and moved on. Besides, I consulted this super-handy guide to selecting a paint finish and selected a flat/matte finish. Seriously, even though there are imperfections in the walls, it's not overly visible.
Here's how it will look in our kitchen, with our cabinets. The tile will stay in place. The installer will just 'float' it in over the tile. Then he'll put baseboards in everywhere. So the strip of unpainted wall at the bottom won't be visible.
Speaking of painting ... I finally got hip and realized there is the option to buy combined paint/primer. I was a little skeptical, but we decided to give it a try. So far, so good. We have 2 coats of paint on the walls and it seems to do the trick. The one 'down' side is I couldn't purchase this in a 5-gallon bucket. I really wanted to because we intend to paint the living room the same color. Yet you can't get the combo paint/primer in the 5-gallon buckets. I would guess it has to do with not being able to use this effectively on NEW drywall. And I'd guess mostly contractors are buying paint by the 5-gallons. So it makes sense.
Ok, so that's what's up around here. Just trim painting for me .... and carpet removing. But then I am DONE with my part of the project. Then it will be in our installer's hand! :)
The trim you see in the background is the original color everything was ... but once I'm done w/ it, the trim will be white.
Yet seeing the dining room now, with no photos on the walls ... it feels so empty/naked! (see our dining room wall w/ photos on it HERE).
Part of me really wanted to choose a more bold color for the dining room/kitchen room. Yet because we have a variety of photos/art that we hang on our walls with a variety of colors, going with a tan/khaki color seemed to be the smartest/most versatile option.
Yes, there is no baseboard (we tore it out), and yes, there is dust ALL OVER the table. It's been a bit of a disaster zone around here lately. Yet we now are (almost) ready for the laminate floors to be installed.
No, we will not be installing the floors. I am convinced it is a home project that our marriage could not survive. After interviewing a few people, we've settled on one I feel very confident in working with.
This is how our sample looks in the dining room. A friend will come over Saturday to help me tear the carpet out. Yes, I realize the walls aren't perfect, but it's something I have decided I am willing to live with. Seriously. Sanding and mudding and sanding is a disaster (see above dust-covered dining room table). I decided "good enough" and moved on. Besides, I consulted this super-handy guide to selecting a paint finish and selected a flat/matte finish. Seriously, even though there are imperfections in the walls, it's not overly visible.
Here's how it will look in our kitchen, with our cabinets. The tile will stay in place. The installer will just 'float' it in over the tile. Then he'll put baseboards in everywhere. So the strip of unpainted wall at the bottom won't be visible.
Speaking of painting ... I finally got hip and realized there is the option to buy combined paint/primer. I was a little skeptical, but we decided to give it a try. So far, so good. We have 2 coats of paint on the walls and it seems to do the trick. The one 'down' side is I couldn't purchase this in a 5-gallon bucket. I really wanted to because we intend to paint the living room the same color. Yet you can't get the combo paint/primer in the 5-gallon buckets. I would guess it has to do with not being able to use this effectively on NEW drywall. And I'd guess mostly contractors are buying paint by the 5-gallons. So it makes sense.
Ok, so that's what's up around here. Just trim painting for me .... and carpet removing. But then I am DONE with my part of the project. Then it will be in our installer's hand! :)
Monday, March 12, 2012
In the dog house / patio/fence debacle
We installed a gate to our patio/backyard to contain the dog. Right? Right.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
She's contained, see?
Well, she WAS contained.
One day, she squeezed through the neighbor's wabbly fence. We took care of that and patted ourselves on the back. All done!
Not quite.
About a week later, she was out. I couldn't figure out how. Until I saw ... THIS ....
STINKIN' DOG broke through the lattice and wiggled out.
THIS IS WAR, I declared.
I went and selected this from the home improvement store. Our buddy had to help get rid of the loops/attachments on the side, but once he did, it fit into the space PERFECTLY.
I, in my typical (Polish) fashion came up with all sorts of complex ways to affix the fence piece to the post. We were walking down the aisle and Erik said 'what about a zip tie?' .... and holy cow, they make zip ties in 2-foot lengths! Genius. I love it when Erik has fabulous yet simple solutions to the issue I'm trying to solve.
Notice how the 'tails/ends' of the zip ties are pointing into the backyard area? This will be important later.
So I put the fence length in and put on just 2 of the ties to see how I liked it. I'd show Erik when he awoke from his nap.
I put the dog outside, and patted myself on the back. I HAD WON.
Then, there was the most awful noise from outside. I'm not sure what exactly was going on, but I go out and someone must have taken the tails/ends and started pulling on them. That or pulling on the fence. AND BROKE THEM. :( :( :(
Let's not talk about how livid I was.
I readjusted and did the zip ties again ... but left the extra on the OUTSIDE of the fence, so the do had nothing to pull on. And I secured it with a tie on the top/bottom of each side. This thing was FAR more stable.
Plus, it covers the hole.
Since the zip-tie mishap, things have been better. Sure, she cries/whines some, but it's actually decreased significantly. I suspect one of the neighbor dogs made fun of her for crying like a baby in the backyard. She will still occasionally whine, but sometimes, she will just sit by the back door and stare at me until I let her out, and then not want to come back in. So I shut the gate and let her roam around.
Everyone *seems* happy with this arrangement.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
She's contained, see?
Well, she WAS contained.
One day, she squeezed through the neighbor's wabbly fence. We took care of that and patted ourselves on the back. All done!
Not quite.
About a week later, she was out. I couldn't figure out how. Until I saw ... THIS ....
STINKIN' DOG broke through the lattice and wiggled out.
THIS IS WAR, I declared.
I went and selected this from the home improvement store. Our buddy had to help get rid of the loops/attachments on the side, but once he did, it fit into the space PERFECTLY.
I, in my typical (Polish) fashion came up with all sorts of complex ways to affix the fence piece to the post. We were walking down the aisle and Erik said 'what about a zip tie?' .... and holy cow, they make zip ties in 2-foot lengths! Genius. I love it when Erik has fabulous yet simple solutions to the issue I'm trying to solve.
Notice how the 'tails/ends' of the zip ties are pointing into the backyard area? This will be important later.
So I put the fence length in and put on just 2 of the ties to see how I liked it. I'd show Erik when he awoke from his nap.
I put the dog outside, and patted myself on the back. I HAD WON.
Then, there was the most awful noise from outside. I'm not sure what exactly was going on, but I go out and someone must have taken the tails/ends and started pulling on them. That or pulling on the fence. AND BROKE THEM. :( :( :(
Let's not talk about how livid I was.
I readjusted and did the zip ties again ... but left the extra on the OUTSIDE of the fence, so the do had nothing to pull on. And I secured it with a tie on the top/bottom of each side. This thing was FAR more stable.
Plus, it covers the hole.
Since the zip-tie mishap, things have been better. Sure, she cries/whines some, but it's actually decreased significantly. I suspect one of the neighbor dogs made fun of her for crying like a baby in the backyard. She will still occasionally whine, but sometimes, she will just sit by the back door and stare at me until I let her out, and then not want to come back in. So I shut the gate and let her roam around.
Everyone *seems* happy with this arrangement.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Lazing around the house
I don't get my cat. Seriously. She gets herself at an angle to sleep COMPLETELY on my purse-like-bag. Um ... strange.
And the dog. Well, she likewise wants to be on something soft. So when I cover myself with a blanket and put my feet up, if there's a corner, she'll find it. And when I toss the blanket off? All the better. :)
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