It Only Looks Like We're Not Making Progress

We found a leak that had gone on for far too long under out kitchen sink last month.  Husband pulled out anything that was wet and biodegradable from that area and threw it out.  We put up a big plastic tarp on this side of the kitchen and walled it off from the rest of the house.  We have the dehumidifiers going in here constantly, but for the last week, no water has been in the reservoir. I'm taking that as a good sign.

All the wet wood is gone, gone, gone.

While this part of the kitchen has been drying out, we've pulled out all of our scouting skills, and have been cooking out on the grill and propane camp stove a lot.  It's been a challenge, and not in the way you might think.  Do you like bugs in your spaghetti?  The bugs like spaghetti.  They fly over the pot, get zapped by the hot steamy water and fall into the pot.  We've put a lid on the pot, lifting only to stir the spaghetti, but those little guys are wicked fast!  I keep telling myself it's extra protein....

We are very fortunate that the water damage didn't extend to the sub floor, into the basement, or under the hard tile floor.  (Although I really wouldn't mind getting rid of that tile.... but I am not ready to put out money for that expense at this time!)

We were out looking at cabinets this weekend.  Our biggest concern was that we were going to have to rip out all of the old cabinets and replace them.  I had hopes of pulling out just the damaged cabinet and re-using the existing cabinet doors and faces.

On our scouting expedition to Home Depot and Lowe's, we found an exact match for the cabinet size.  We might end up switching out the doors so that they match the existing cabinets, but the wood on the face is an exact match.  (Thank you to the previous owners (OK, my in-laws) for using stock cabinetry when they remodeled the kitchen!)

Hey look!  It's a new base cabinet!

We are going to replace the sink and faucet when we replace the bottom cabinet.  I have hopes of getting a garbage disposal installed, too.  And a plumber to make sure it's done correctly.   This part of the job will not be a "do it yourself" fix.

The bigger question includes the existing counter top.  We're going to  have to pull it up and out in order to replace that cabinet.  The counter tops themselves are in good shape.  I really don't want to replace them if we don't have to, because we've got a significant amount of counter top space - it's a long "L" shaped piece of counter right there, and then there's a very short "L" shaped piece of counter top on the opposite corner of the kitchen that I don't want to replace - because nothing is wrong with it - but if we replace that counter top on one side, we'll have to replace it on the other side, too.  The counters themselves are 12 years old.  I know they aren't the "hip" thing, but they work.  I guess we're going to have to wait and see if we can successfully remove the existing counter top without damaging it when we go to replace the base cabinet.

Middle child is back at work this week, but he'll be home for a couple of days next week.  He and husband are plotting to fix this on Monday and Tuesday of next week while he's home.  Another week without a kitchen.  Another week of "interesting" meals.  I see more salads in our future.

You know, I don't think the Property Brothers move this slowly.  I watch their shows all the time, and it's less than an hour from start to finish.  Obviously, we're doing something wrong!  I can mention this here, because I'm afraid that if I mention this, even jokingly to husband's face again, he's going to file for divorce....

Here's my Property Brothers moment:
Can the homeowners come in under their $1500 max renovation budget?

Total spent so far:
Lowe's, 6/12/13 $198
New Base Cabinet for under sink.

Home Depot, 5/29/16  $198

doorknob, 2 mold approved face masks, 1 large (10'  x 25') tarp, reusable latex gloves with extra long cuffs, bleach, tarp tape, small sheet of plywood, propane tank for the grill.

Total Spent to Date:  $396


Other Posts in this Series:
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Jonathan and Drew - if you're reading this - 2 not so starry eyed, not so young people looking to fix the house that's been in the same family for 46 years could use some help!

Monday Musings

Thoughts and prayers go to the people in Orlando, and especially to those who have lost loved ones.

Another week without a kitchen.  This is starting to get old!  We've been grilling a lot.  Who knew that it was possible to get this tired of grilled food?  Maybe I'll start working on slow cooker meals this week.  I really want my kitchen back.

A happy bunch of flowers!

The weather has been wonderful for drying clothing outdoors.  We've been drying everything outside (except on days when rain is in the forecast.)  I've been getting clothes in the wash early in the morning, and then getting them out on the line before I leave for work.

Daughter had a post-op infection set in after her wisdom teeth were pulled.  *sigh*.  She went back for her follow up check up, and yep, she was infected.  The doctor gave her a shot of antibiotics, and she passed out.  Yeah, great way to spend an afternoon.   She spent some extra time in the office, and then we got her home.   She's still taking oral antibiotics.  She's goes back to the doctor next week.  You know, she had a pretty massive abscess on the other side of her jaw in January that took three rounds of antibiotics to clear out.  I'm hoping that this infection clears out faster.  The surgeon assured me that the two are not related, but you know how a mother's mind works.  I'm convinced they're related somehow.

Middle son is getting ready to head back to what might very well be his very last year of summer camp.  He's senior staff, and the challenges are many.  He's enjoying the challenges.  He is also planning on spending a lot of time thinking through "what comes next" for him. He graduates next year, and some decisions need to be made between now and then. (Questions like: do I go to graduate school or into the work world?)

I reviewed The Curious Cat Spy Club on my Books for Teens blog.  You can link to my review here.  

The general election is coming up soon.  Have you registered to vote?  You've got time, so now is the time to find out if you are registered, and if you're not to go register.  Find out where your polling location is, and find our where the early voting locations are in your area.  It might seem like your vote doesn't matter, but it truly does.

Shake the Dust off Your Feet

It's been a rough couple of weeks at work.   Half of our staff has quit in the last week.  HALF!!!!

I ran across this on Facebook and it nicely sums up my thoughts.  

Monday Musings

It's been a week.  No kitchen to cook out of, and I've learned many, many things.

Food:
1) I love my slow cooker.  I've cooked a couple of awesome meals in the slow cooker.  One was this recipe for Moroccan Chick Pea Stew that I found in Mother Earth Living Magazine.  I made a huge batch, so not only did we have enough for dinner on the day I made it, we had enough for leftovers the next day.

2) We do have a grill, and we've used that for two very tasty meals this week.  We roasted a bunch of veggies and then served those in corn tortillas one night for dinner.  The second time, we cooked up a bunch of chicken.  We had chicken for dinner one night, and enough left over to turn into Pulled Chicken BBQ a second night.

3) The fire pit in the back has been put into use.  We pulled out our Scouting Skills, and cooked up a pretty fabulous chili one night (with a strawberry rhubarb cobbler for desert), and another night we fried up a shrimp stir fry in the cast iron skillet - we sat it on top of the grate over the coals.  Wow, that was a much better dinner than it is when I make it on the stove.  Maybe the extra hot heat from the fire gave it that really extra special crunch?  I don't know, but it was awesome!

4) I picked up the makings for some awesome salads at the farmer's markets over the last week, so we were able to make several meals of very fresh salads.  I'm so glad it's vegetable season!

So, lessons learned -
Long term, I really don't mind cooking outside.  It has kept the house much cooler this summer, and less strain has been put on our air conditioner as it attempts to cool the house back down after dinner.  An outdoor summer kitchen sounds like a great idea.  You know, families used to do this back before the advent of air conditioning, there was always a stove on the back porch, or a separate kitchen.   Both of my Grandmothers kept wood fired stoves on their back porch for summer use!  I need to revisit this idea!

If your kitchen is going to be out of commission for weeks, make sure you arrange this to happen during the summer months, when cooking outdoors is not going to be as much of a challenge as it would be in the winter.

Washing dishes outside has been a challenge.  We've been using paper plates for eating, but using our regular utensils for eating.  Since we can't get to the kitchen sink, we've washed some of the smaller stuff in the bathroom sink.  The bigger stuff, we're washing outdoors in a bucket with hot, soapy water.  Maybe my outdoor kitchen should include a plan for water of some kind, too.  And a sink.

Keep an emergency savings account, and keep adding to it.  You never know when an emergency is going to hit, and having that cushion brings a wonderful level of comfort to your life! 

Other than the fun of cooking outdoors for a week, life has been pretty quiet around here!  How about you?





 

Blue Hair

 This post originally appeared in my now defunct "Mom's View" blog in 2013.  I moved it to this blog at the request of my kids, who wanted to have all of the various posts that accompanied their high school years in one place. Enjoy!

My 16 year old daughter dyes her hair.  I'm not thrilled with it, but if this is her form of rebellion, I can live with it.  Dyeing her hair is so much better than many other ways she could choose to rebel.  (Drinking, drugs, sex, etc.)

Usually, she dyes that beautiful head of brown hair red.

I came home to a different experience Thursday night.

Her hair was blue.

She had bought a bottle of blue hair dye at the store, and attempted to dye the red/brown mass blue.

Do you remember the story in Anne of Green Gables, where Anne attempted to dye the mass of red hair black, and it turned green?  This story reminds me of Anne's attempt to dye her hair.

Not only is her hair this hideous color of blue-green, so is her scalp.  And her hands.  Her neck.  Her ears.  Her nose.  Her forehead.  Her fingers are really blue, and her cuticles are just freaky.

Of course, she chose to do this on a Thursday night.  Do you see the problem yet?  She still had to go to school yesterday.  The good news is that hand sanitizer does remove some of the dye.  The bad news is, she's still a ghastly shade of blue.

Fortunately, she has a good sense of humor.  She went to school with a scarf around her neck to hide the dye on her neck.  She left her hair down so it would cover her ears.  Her face and hands are still a ghastly shade of blue, though.

When questioned about the blue, (as any normal person would), she told people one of three things:

1) I've been feeling a little blue lately.

2) I'm releasing my inner smurf.

3) I decided to go Avatar.  Didn't  you get the memo?

I honestly can't imagine what her day was like.  I offered the option of staying home, but she decided to go to school.

I'm proud of her.  It's not everyone who can pull off the blue look and hold their head up in school for the entire day!

Book Review: Not Your Mother's Make Ahead and Freeze Cookbook

Disclosure Notice: No Affiliate Links here!  I couldn't figure out how to get through Amazon's new screens to get a good picture.  Ergo, this fun picture that I took with my phone.

I had to laugh when I was reading Jessica's introduction to the book.  She talked about Once A Month Cooking.  (OAM).  Have any of you ever done that hot mess?  It was a big thing back in the 90's.  I would sit down and carefully plan out my meals for a month (or a little longer).  I would vary my recipes between chicken, beef, pork, and vegetarian.  I would then spend a day shopping.  We're talking a huge grocery shop here.  I'd go to BJ's, and I'd spend about $150 on the food.  Come back home and stuff it all in the fridge and freezer.  The next day was cooking day.  I'd chop vegetables, cook meat, saute things, assemble meals, and then freeze them all.  Clean up was hideous.  Every pot pan and bowl in the house was used.  BUT - at the end of the day, I had cooked meals for a month or so.  My kids were all born in the 90's, and I loved having quick meals to pull out and put on the table when they were infants and toddlers.  Not having to do meal prep with hungry toddlers running around.  Not quite bliss, but it was wonderful.  Over the years, I've moved away from OAM meals, but I am still a very big fan of cooking ahead.  I'll assemble meal kits, or crock pot dump meals, or cook two of something and freeze on for later use.  This has saved me more than once when faced with the conundrum of "What's for Dinner?"  I am always on the lookout for recipes that lend themselves well to preparing ahead, but don't leave me with a frozen, soggy mass of limp vegetables and tough, overcooked meat.  I was browsing through my local library last week when I found this gem!  Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook is going to become a staple in my house.

This is not a collection of dump recipes.  Nor is it a collection of casseroles.  Yes, there are some casseroles.  There are a couple of dump recipes.  But what really sets this book apart for me is that you are assembling meals.  Sauces and spices and meats are frozen together so that when you get ready to prep a meal, items are combined to make a fresh fantastic meal.

 

I've tried two recipes out of here so far.  The Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole is a freezer meal - but not the way you might expect.  The raw chicken was stored in a zip top bag with the marinade, and that bag was stored inside of a larger bag with the rice and seasonings.  The night before, I pulled the materials out to let them thaw in the fridge, and we had an awesome dinner the next night.  I came home, dumped everything in a 13 x 9 inch casserole, put dishes in the dishwasher away, and then looked up in surprise when dinner was ready.  Holy cow, that was good!  (Hint- if you do check this book out and decide to try this recipe, keep an eye on the rice.  It doesn't need a full 2 hours of bake time.  Mine was done in about an hour.)  

I tried the fish tacos over the weekend.  So awesome!  The make ahead version calls for the fish to be stored in a zip top bag, and for the seasonings to be stored in a separate baggie within the bag.  Personally, I'd be tempted to also store the corn tortillas in the same zip top bag.  I like having as many parts together as possible when I pull something out of the freezer.  

For me, with my food allergies, I love the recipes.  Jessica calls for fresh, not processed foods.  No processing means no chance of gluten or dairy.  Even better, it is easy for me to substitute out the foods that I can't eat or don't like.  

If you're looking for some new, fun ideas for freezer cooking, give this book at try!

2016 Resolutions - June Update

Just look at that Oregano grow!  At least something is thriving!

Holy cow, am I glad last month is over.  So far, I feel like I've been hemorrhaging money.  We've hit up our savings account frequently this year, and every time we get it back up to a certain point, something else breaks.  So very, very glad that we have money set aside "just in case" something goes wrong.  We've had a lot of "something else" this year.

So, way back in January, I set this very optimistic set of goals of things that I wanted to accomplish this month.  Funny, funny girl.  With the way life is happening to us this year, I don't thing we're going to make any forward progress on anything else anytime soon.

Anyway, here is my very optimistic look at what I thought I could accomplish this year:

1) Remodel the Hall Bathroom.
Yeah, I thought this was going to happen this year, but then THIS happened this week:  One step forward, two steps back.

2) Improve My Health
Looking beyond the numbers on the scale, I am going after the big picture numbers that add up to an overall look at my body chemistry and how my body is functioning as a system.  This led me to three separate categories:

a) Lose Inches Off My Waist
My goal for this year is 3 inches.  Still not at 3, but I have lost over 2!  HOORAY!

b) Get My Blood Pressure Down into the Normal Range
YES!!  120/60!  No lecture from the doctor this year, instead I got a hearty "Keep up the good work!"
This time last year, my blood pressure was at 140/80.  Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!

c) Go Down at Least One Clothing Size.  
For me, this is pretty phenomenal!

3) Restart my Vegetable Garden
This spring has been so wet, everything that I put into the ground was drowned.  For now, this is just not going to happen.  My herb pot is a success, though!

4) Learn to Pressure Can
SO, we have a glass top stove.  Pressure canners do not work on a glass top stove because they can't consistently keep the temperature up high enough.  This one might very well be a wash.

5) Daughter's Quilt
Oh, yeah, the quilt.  I need to get back to that.

6) Clean Out and Organize the Carport
The kids did this for me when they were all home the weekend after Mother's Day.  Thanks guys!

7) Exercise Consistently
4 or 5 days every week.

8) Clean Out 23 Things a Week
Originally, the goal was to clean out 23 things a month.  Then I changed it to 23 things a week.  For the entire 52 weeks of the year, that would have required me to get rid of 1196 things for the year.  I met that goal in May.  Good thing the house is cleaner!  It means we had room to shift stuff over to other places when we had to tarp off the kitchen!

Items out of the House this month: 47
Items out so far this year: 1320

9) Participate in the NoSpenduary Challenge.
Thank God I did this, both in February and in March.  It has literally saved our asses as things continue to break and fall apart at an alarming rate.  I originally found this challenge on the Frugal, Debt Free Life Blog. Bless your heart, Lydia.  Because of this challenge, we have not yet gone down the rabbit hole of massive credit card debt with the huge expenses we've had in 2016:  1 abscessed tooth requiring a root canal.  1 crown for said tooth.  The van needing huge repairs not once but TWICE, (once for the a/c, once because it just stopped working late at night when husband was on his way home from choir practice.), AND 1 leaking, moldy mess under the kitchen sink. No idea how that much is going to run, but I am really glad that we have construction and rebuilding experience from volunteering with Habitat for Humanity over the years.  That will help cut down on some of our expenses.

10) Visit one Place on My Bucket List
Phase One: Completed  (We know where we're going.)
Phase Two: Finished
 (Everyone will be capable of going.  Vacations have been requested and approved by everyone.)
Phase Three: We were going to make reservations at hotels, but with the way this summer is going, we might very well have to camp....

11) Get at least half of the CEU's I need to keep my teaching  and my library certificate.
 I worked to hard to get those certifications to just let them lapse!  It's never fun to take classes, but it's even LESS fun to have to retake all of the classes for a certificate you let lapse.  (Or worse - to retake a mandatory test.  I'm thinking of the Praxis exams.  I took the NTE's back in the 80's.  I'm not sure how well I'd do on the Praxis exams if I were to have to take them now.  Especially since it's been more years than I want to admit since I've sat in on college classes.)

12) Scrapbooking
I need to catch up.  I know I had years that I didn't do this.  I went through all of the albums and found the years that I have not yet finished.  These are the years I am in search of:
2006
2009
2010
2011
2012
2015

13) Walk or Bike a portion of at least 6 Rail Trails

A Lime Kiln on the NCR Trail.

The challenge has begun!  The first trail has been explored.
 Note to self: take more water next time - twice the amount you'll think you need, carry one bottle with you, keep extra in the car for when you get back.  Those trails are not as shaded as the woodland trails in the State Parks.  

Now that the rain has stopped, we need to get back to this.  I also need to get away from the onslaught of crap that is going on in our house. 

The NCR Trail 

 14) Pay off the big debt and one smaller one-
The big debt is gone.  It's nice to have one monkey off my back!  Before I go to work on the smaller debt, I desperately need to rebuild the emergency savings account.  If you remember, it was depleted over the course of a dental emergency and a car repair.  We had wisdom teeth removed last week, and it was nice to be able to pay for that and still have money left in the emergency savings account.  Seriously people, if you don't have an emergency savings account with at least $1000 put aside, don't wait another day.  Do it NOW.  Just do it.  Don't make excuses.  Doing the NoSpenduary Challenge is a great way to start.  I know it's inconvenient, but it's summer.  Public Libraries are open, with free programming available for children, and there are concerts and free movies in parks and community areas everywhere.  This is a great time to take a break from spending and find out just how creative you can be while keeping your kids entertained.

15) The Recipes Tab
I nicely fixed up the recipe tab so that it is easy to find recipes that I've posted on here before.  For me, this is my online recipe book.  Some of the recipes are my own.  Some, I posted direct links to other sites.  You might or might not choose to use it, but I use it on a pretty regular basis, and I've found out that one of the boys does, too.  He likes the fact that most of what I've listed is food he already loves and that everything is fairly easy to make and budget conscious.  (Hey Kiddo!  Glad you stopped by for a while!)

How are you doing on your resolutions this year?