What to buy for people who are hard to buy for: a tutorial

It's coming up to the 10th anniversary of the first date that The Guy and I ever went on.

So cute and young.

Ten years. That seems like a long time and yet not long enough. I feel like we've been together for a long time and also not that long.

Time is weird. Also, now I have to get a gift for him.

I've got a dilemma.

What do I get the guy who doesn't need or want anything?

The Guy's answer? "Truck parts"

I'm not buying trucks parts. Maybe for our "chrome" anniversary. Wait... I just realized 10 years is the tin/aluminum year. Ugh. 

But I've been thinking about our date-iversary and what I want to get The Guy. So, when UncommonGoods contacted me and offered me a chance to review their site and get a bit of money for it so I can buy something, I jumped at the chance. 

What's so good about UncommonGoods?

Well, my favourite thing is in their mission statement. UncommonGoods are "making sustainability a part of every decision we make" and are "working to make UncommonGoods more environmentally friendly, [and] socially responsible."

Honestly, with all the things going on in the world today, I have been trying to make better decisions about my purchase choices. Sustainability, environmentally friendly, and socially responsibility is where I've been focusing.

I'm serious. Read the mission statement.

Presents for the guy who has it all

I got lost in the rabbit hole of awesome gifts for everyone I know, but I focused on gifts that are good for guys and gifts to commemorate anniversaries of all kinds. (I also looked at things for the dog... Monty's been in this relationship too!!)

Alcohol Options

The Guy likes a good beer. He's a bit of a beer aficionado and so I always know that beer is always a good gift for him. When I saw I could narrow down my recommendations to beer related, I was pretty stoked.

I figured I could take one of everything, but these were my two favourites. The Guy has always loved Guinness beer so this kit would be a neat way to explore that. The glass set is a perfect co-gift. Wade likes beer and I like wine!

Irish Stout Beer Brewing Kit and Personalized Tree Trunk Glassware Duo
All photos source UncommonGoods

Travel related gifts

We love to travel all over the place. I swear, if we had all the money in the world, we would never come home. UncommonGoods has some awesome travel themed presents for everyone.

Personalized Anniversary Pushpin World Map and Hand Embroidered City Pillows

I'd love to have a map where we could keep track of all the places we have been and where we want to go. I've also started buying pillow covers respresenting each of our travel destinations, so the hand-made cover would be perfect!

Home decor options

I am always on the lookout for home decor stuff. So, with the great decor options for the home from UncommonGoods, I couldn't resist.

Handmade Rock and Vine Lamp and Kissing Lovers Sculpture

I cannot stand the lamp that is in The Guy's office, so I love the idea of replacing it with this awesome handmade lamp. And what can I say about the statue. It is so beautiful and I can think of all the places it would look perfect in our house.

Now, I will link The Guy to options for me! Anniversary gifts that a woman in your life would love.

How to overcome the smell of rotting broccoli in two easy steps

I am not a good cook.

This is not a surprise for most people who know me as it has been a running family joke for most my life. The tale of the hamburger soup I made to impress my step-mother but actually forgot to turn on is something that I still get teased about.

It's nice to know I'm consistent.

This week, I made a pretty decent Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey turned out great, the potatoes were creamy, the veggies were roasted, and we all ate like kings. So, revelling in my success, I thought I would make turkey soup to keep the party going.

I had good intentions.

But then...

My cooking in 4 sentences: Made turkey soup. Forgot soup on stove. Threw out turkey soup. Dang it.

— Bronwyn (@Bronwyn_MayB) October 11, 2016

This brought on a great deal of conversation on my FaceBook page about other people's mishaps and reminders that it could be worse. My cousin jokingly reminded me it was no worse than the time I forgot broccoli in the microwave for 2 weeks.

That brought up many questions for friends and family, so I thought I would regale you with the story. It may be the perfect example of all my cooking experiences.

Broccoli clip art for emphasis. Source here.

Once upon a time, my soon to be sister-in-law, Mel, and I lived together in an apartment. It was a cute little apartment with 60s style room dividers and a teeny kitchen off the living area. This was good as it was rare we ever cooked with any consistency.

One day, we were trying to be healthy and made supper. Pork chops in the oven, pasta on the stove, and broccoli steamed in the microwave. I'm sure it was lovely, but I have no memory of the meal itself.

What I have is memory of the aftermath.

A couple of weeks went by and we were overwhelmed with the smell of rotting vegetation. We cleaned the kitchen top to bottom. We moved the stove, cleaned out the fridge, and washed the floors.

Still the smell remained.

We didn't locate the source for many days.

Now, you would think with the extreme clean that we did that one of us would have remembered to open the microwave. You would think that someone would have used the microwave in those weeks, but then you would not understand how much we truly hated cooking.

Finally we opened the microwave.

There it was.

A small bowl of broccoli was sitting there in the middle of the appliance. It was green, but not in the way that broccoli is green, but that green that has taken over once-living vegetation.

The smell that wafted forth from the open door was somewhat sweet, but mostly decaying, and caused an immediate retching from each of us in the room.

We threw out the broccoli and cleaned the microwave. Like my other cousin pointed out on FaceBook, there is not enough vinegar in the world to stop that smell. But, we gave it the college try.

Eventually we admitted defeat. We were going to live with that smell forever and that was how it would be.

A possible solution came to us. Popcorn!!

Have you ever cooked popcorn and had the smell take over an entire room? Maybe this would do it for us.

Plus, we would get to eat popcorn. Double win!

We threw the popcorn into the microwave and settled down to watch American Idol.

I would like to remind you of two things here. First, this was long ago enough that watching American Idol was awesome. Not weird and sad. Second, this was long ago enough that the microwave did not have a popcorn setting. You put it in for numerous minutes and waited for the sound of popping to slow to one pop a second.

American Idol got very exciting. Mel's favourite singer knocked out my favourite singer in the last round. Mel was whooping and jumping around in victory while I felt small and insignificant.

Suddenly... "What is that smell?" and... "The popcorn!!!"

The microwave door opened to reveal the popcorn bag on fire. Panic ensued. Flaming bag was dumped in sink and doused. Popcorn was mourned.

Once the excitement finished, we noticed something important.

The smell of rotting broccoli was gone.

Ode to my hatred of gardening

Oh, how I hate you, Garden.

You lure me with your promise of food and stress relief.
You speak to the blood of my farming ancestors
and stir up memories of abilities once used.

You fool me with picturesque images.
Of over-sized hats and flowered gloves
and simple salads made with love and sunlight.

The reality is much less romantic.
It is the presence of dirt that cannot be removed
and mosquito bites I cannot reach to scratch.

It is of aggressive and ever-present weeds.
They cannot be thwarted nor can they be tamed
and often are larger than the plants they accompany.

O, Garden, you are a menace.
After weeks of producing little, you develop overnight
with amounts that cannot be handled by one woman.

You grow with ferociousness that shows your true nature.
You do not want to feed, but overcome
and take back the earth from civilization.

Harvest comes quickly and needs constant vigilance.
Those with employment cannot manage
and require days of rest to be abandoned for labour.

I curse you, dear Garden, and all your fruits.
I loathe the carrots that will not be plucked easily
and the onions that grow 4 feet tall with no bulb.

I despise your zucchini the size of small dogs.
The spinach that flowers too quickly to be picked
and lettuce that overwhelms the bed.

One cannot eat this much salad!
I have grievously injured myself on a carrot
and my back aches from wrestling with beets.

There is nothing I love about you, Garden.
I loathe you with the hatred of a thousand suns
and expect I will do it again next season.

Kitchen progress - sort of settled: New house update

Considering I've updated you all on every moment of this house build, it's only fair I keep you in the loop.

We are in our house and getting settled.  We now have a fridge, a working dishwasher, and back pain.

Oh, the back pain.

Unpacking blues

I've been spending my free time opening boxes and deciding where important things should go for the rest of their lives. It's very strenuous.

The potato masher needs a good home, people!

The kitchen is the only place I am even close to being done. The living room is a near second.  The Guy has organized and unpacked his office, and is now fixing and installing little things around the house.

We will be fully settled someday.  In time for my retirement party, I assume.

The Kitchen

Layout

Kitchen layout

In case you forget, this is the layout of my kitchen.  You enter from the foyer on the left hand side and come straight into the kitchen. It stretches from one end of the house to the other and is bathed in southern light.

It's exactly what I wanted.

Island

The island is a thing of beauty. It is shiny and lovely and enormous. It is 8 feet long and 4 feet wide and has SO MUCH ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES!

The accent wall with my paintings
and THE ISLAND

In the island is a deep sink with an awesome faucet that does all sorts of neat things. I'm super paranoid about water spots and scratches right now, so I'm being fanatical about wiping every droplet.

It also has a working dish washer. That was a bit of a struggle to get, so I'm thankful it's there.

I am still in awe that I no longer have to wash by hand.

So much in awe.

Fridge and Stove

My fridge is also now present and working. After over a week of going to the garage to get anything resembling food, I have been excited to put things in a shiny new refrigerator.

It takes so little to please me.

Small minds and the like.

I also now have a stove! It is gas and shiny and easy to use.

Despite one small mishap when I forgot I had something on the stove and burnt it to a crisp, it has been a wonderful addition in our lives. I love using it and am almost excited to MAKE stuff.

Anyone who knows my hatred of all things cooking will be amused by this.

Pantry door and stove

Organization

I explained to someone today that I have been planning the organization of this kitchen for 6 months now. It's only fair I get to really do it up right.

I have shelf liners in every drawer and cupboard and I have everything organized based on type, purpose, and amount of use.

I'm a big nerd. I'm aware.

Pot drawers are amazing

I cannot express to you the joy I have found in pot drawers. I have 6 of them and I'm in love.

I only have 6 pots, so I could do one in each!

I haven't, but I could.

Instead, I have drawers of plastic happiness (what my Dad calls Tupperware - it amuses me), a drawer for our toasters, and drawers for things I never knew could go in drawers.

I'm in my happy place.

I have not organized the pantry yet, but I will get there eventually. I am waiting on a couple of turning tray thingies that I'm forcing my brother to foray into Ikea to pick up for me and then I can go to town.

One room down, a zillion to go.

Monty would like you to call SPCA

Since moving into the new house, it has been a whirlwind of activity.

Change is hard

Monty has been on edge for months since he saw us starting to pack up the rental in April.

Mom packs a bag, there is obviously something wrong.

Sucky baby

Since being in the new house, it's even worse. There is chaos everywhere.  

Chaos

The Guy and I sleep in separate rooms (taking turns on the couch) because our bed has not arrived. Monty goes from one room to the next and back again because he needs to check on both of us while we sleep.

During the day, our every waking moment is spent unpacking. Boxes are everywhere and I am constantly on the go. 

For a dog who must be near me at all times, this is quite exhausting for poor Monty.

Shadow in dog form

He follows at my heels as I traipse from room to room, putting things in places, moving things to other places, or standing around doing things. He stares at me with sad dog eyes wishing I would sit for awhile and give him cuddles.

If I do sit anywhere for more than a minute, he collapses on the floor in a heap.  

As I work on my project.

The moment I so much as move, he is up and on alert.

He is an anxious mess.

Bad dog mommy

We are not helping him any either.

The Guy has temporarily moved to night shift at work.  This is problematic for Monty as it means both The Guy and I have similar hours of work and Monty is alone in a strange place with strange sounds and he is abandoned.

The first night we went to work, he barked for almost 3 hours with only a 1/2 hour break in the middle.

It was then our tenants (and good friends) came and rescued him.

That has been our itinerary for the last week or so. We leave the door to the common space open, Monty says good bye and then snuffles at the tenants door so they will let him in.  He lounges for a bit, says goodnight to Lil E, and then heads upstairs.

Easy peasy.

Well, as long as his parents remember a few important things.

One night, The Guy forgot to leave a light on. Strange place, strange noises, and darkness = freaked out dog.

Bad dog?

A week later, we both thought the other one had let him out to pee. As soon as he went into the tenants house, he peed on the sheepskin rug that was a gift from Lil E's grandparents when they were in AUSTRALIA.

Of course, he did.

Two days after that, we got so busy in the house we forgot what time it was.

Monty was quiet.

Until he peed on the floor.

Moral of the story

I am trying to make sure I pay attention to Monty.

When I am taking down time, I try and spend lots of time showing love.

I think, until we all settle into the house, we will all be a little on edge.

I really hope he's the only one who pees on the floor though.

Frustrations and thankfulness

You would think that finally moving into our new house would mean I was bursting at the seams with excitement and unable to control myself from showing you everything.

Yeah.

Not so much.

We are in. That is true.

Moving issues

We went without a fridge for 5 days, our dishwasher leaked all over the floor, the closets are a disaster, and neither The Guy or I have slept more than 5 hours a night since we moved in.

Montel has cried and barked for hours every time we leave the house and the soundproofing will only be effective once the entry way is finished and isn't so echoey.

I am happy to be here, but I will be happier to be settled.


Here are the things I am able to be thankful for this week.

Family

1. My brother had a health scare the last few months, but got some good news recently.
   
   He might be a butt face, but he's ours and we don't want to lose him anytime soon.
   
   

   

   We had SO MANY matching outfits

   
   
2. My father and his wife arrive in Canada in a few days. He will arrive to my house after the middle of the month. I'm hoping I have a bed for them by then.
   
   

   

   This is a perfect picture of them as a couple.
   Dad is very pleased with himself
   Tanya is one step from rolling her eyes at him.

   
   

Life improvements

3. The coffee "bar" area in the new house is awesome. It looks that much better now that we have a fridge and don't have to go to the garage for creamer.
   

   
   
   
   

   It will be better when I get a chance to decorate more, but LOOK!!!

4. I got an award from the Women's Committee at my Union for the work I've done. I was pretty impressed - even with the misspelled name!
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. I got an accidental day off today. I have no idea why I booked it. I guess God knew I would need the break by now.

The next step

This coming weekend will have me working to finish unpacking the kitchen, starting on the bathroom, working on my private contract, taking time to hang out with Lil E and Monty, and collapsing in a heap on the floor.

Some time soon, when I can laugh about it, I will start talking about the house.

I'm not there yet.

My life in places: my first apartment

Yesterday, I introduced you to the first house I ever owned. A friend then reminded me of my first apartment ever. I thought it would be a nice addition to the list -- especially on Throwback Thursday!

My apartment building 

Freedom

When I was 19, I moved out of my parent's home. I knew the only way to do that was to go to school in another city, so I transferred all my credits and went to Saskatoon.

I rented a tiny bachelor suite in a building that smelled like cat pee.

I have no idea how I rented the suite because I didn't see it until I got there with all my things, but there I was. My mom and I brought the family van packed to the gills with all the things I'd been collecting since I was 14 so I could move out.

You would think they starved and beat me, I was so desperate to move, but that wasn't the case.

My new apartment building was within walking distance from the University. I could walk through the park, across the longest bridge ever, and be at my class within 25 minutes. I made that walk no matter the temperature or time of day.

I was too scared to learn how to use the bus system.

I also washed my clothes in the bathtub because the basement laundry was too scary.

I don't like new things.

Security

The building was 2 blocks from my cousin and his room mate as well as a half-way house. I didn't learn about the half-way house until I was already moved in for a month and I smartly did not tell my mother about it.

It would not have gone well.  The first night we moved in, my mother saw there was only a chain and a handle lock, so she slept between me and the door until the landlord could put a dead bolt in. I can imagine what she would have done if there were criminals next door.

Quality

The apartment was $210 a month (out of my $500/mo living allowance). At the time, I thought that was unreal. Now? I think it would go for at least $600, even with it's flaws (of which there were many.)

The front window was broken. It was one of the coldest winters that year, so I stuffed a sleeping bag in the window and duct taped it in place. It stayed like that until I moved that summer.  The heat was an old radiator in front of the window and I'm not sure who controlled it.

I can safely say it wasn't me. For the entire 10 months I lived there, the heat was full blast. I turned off all the knobs, but I'm pretty sure they didn't work any way. However, with the wind blasting through the window and the heat blasting from the rad, I think the temp evened out eventually.

My first layout

It was small, but I loved it. The kitchen was tiny, but I think I cooked twice that year anyway. You had to close the door to watch TV and it fit about 6 people in the room comfortably, but it was the first place I was solely responsible for.

Friends and neighbours

While it wasn't the place to be all the time, my small home did become a regular hangout for a few friends -- like the one who came to stay for a week and never moved out (Hi Carla!) It was just a place to be comfortable, hang out watching my 2 TV channels, and listen to my downstairs neighbours speak loudly in Chinese.

The day I moved out was the day I met my hall neighbour. I was carrying my last box into the hall when a tiny little woman peeked her head out of her doorway, squeaked, and slammed the door again.

She seemed nice.


*****
Somewhere in the recesses of packed boxes, there is a photo album with pictures of this place. If I ever find it, I will have to scan them. Stupid technology.

My life in places: My first house

For most of my life, the only thing I ever really wanted was a house of my own.

Home

It wasn't about the picket fence and the family for me; a home of my own was about putting down roots. It was about taking something and saying "This is where I am."

I've always been a home-body. I would get homesick on sleepovers until I was a teenager. I needed that sense of security.

Stability.

My mom, my brother, and I shared that need. The rest of our family was happy planning for what strange land they would visit, while we wanted nothing more to be at home with the people we loved.

My mom and I spent hours going through magazines and the Sears catalogue cutting out pictures of things we would decorate with if we only had the money.  We wandered through the neighbourhood peering into people's windows for decorating inspiration (and sheer nosiness!)  We loved to see how others lived and talk about what we would have done instead.

For both of us, having a home where people could come and be themselves was top on our lists.

Let the rest of my family travel.  I want my own bed. My own bathroom.

When my mom died, I used my inheritance for one thing I knew she would understand.  A BRAND NEW CAR!!!!!!!

No, wait.  That's The Price is Right.

What I did was use a big chunk of it for a downpayment on a house.

Deciding to buy

My dad did what they always tell people not to do in the first few months of grief -- he made major life decisions.  He sold the house where he, my mother, and my sister lived and bought a condo.  My sister was suddenly homeless and our family had no centre.

I felt like I needed to create a new base to make up for the one we had all lost when Mom died.

So, you know, I made a major life decision.

I spent a long time looking for the house of my dreams.  I'm sure we looked at 20 before I found the one I wanted. I saw a lot of houses, but the ranged from the "meh" to the "ugh".

Finally, I walked into the house on Chinook.  It was very 70s and not the good retro kind. Old cupboards with older hardware. Wooden spindles creating room separation.  A backyard that was all garden (aka: a weed plot)  It wasn't much, but I knew it could be home.

I bought it and less than two months later was in the doors.

My very first house.  It had a ton of hydrengeas which I happily tore out.

Much to the dismay of everyone else in the neighbourhood.

My first home

My sister, Lyn, moved in with me.

We went to town picking out paint chips, deciding on room layout, painting, and decorating. I made a hundred to scale room designs complete with cut out furniture I could arrange and rearrange.

We started painting almost immediately and had a lot of it done before we moved in.

When the time came, I had a house that was almost totally me. I painted almost every inch of the house.

Of course, being the procrastinators we were (are), we decided to wait until we moved in to paint the kitchen a gorgeous cherry red.

In the 3 years we lived there, it never got done.

I left the paint for the next owners.

My living room: Eggplant on the main wall, Lilac on the other.  

I bought the blue furniture brand new and won a trip to Mexico.

Mine

I loved that house.  Every room had my touch (except Lyn's room... I wouldn't touch that if you paid me) and it all meant a lot to me.  I scoured books to learn how to do electrical work and I changed every outlet on my own.

I fixed things and built things and hung shelves and pictures.

It was exactly how I wanted it to be.

It broke my heart that my mom couldn't see it.  But, I was doing what she couldn't anymore -- I was trying to create a home for my family to migrate to.

My bedroom displaying my paintings and the plant I kept alive for 3 years.  

Thanks to Ky.  She watered it everytime she came to visit.  Once a month.

Despite all the trouble there was in that place -- a ever-renewing lake in the basement, an entire yard of weeds that were supposed to be a garden, the biggest lawn known to mankind -- it was my home.

I loved it.

Too much of a good thing

When my sister Ky moved in with Lyn and I, we were the happiest bunch of happies that ever happed. We were three sisters living the dream.

We watched a lot of So You Think You Can Dance and ate a lot of take out, but we had a great time.

Then one day,  the neighbours mentioned to me how great it was to see the place as it was meant to be.  They explained how three spinster sisters had moved to the house in the 70s and lived there until the last one of them died just before I bought the house.

I joined Lava Life the next day.

The rest is history.

Counters, lucidity, and family: thankful on a Friday

1. After initial heartbreak and extreme frustration this week, our countertops were installed today. We are slowly inching closer to done.
   
   

   

   Our choices, almost ready for reveal




2. There are 7 days until we move into our new home. Whether or not they are ready for us!
   

   

   Excuse the mess

   
   Talking to my Grandma this week, she asked why we weren't moving in on May 15th like we planned. She couldn't remember my name, but remembered the house. 


3. My dad and my stepmom Tanya are coming back to Canada for an extended visit. That means Ukraine is stable enough for them to travel here and back. 


4. This kid melts my heart. She makes rough days better with her antics. She isn't mine, but I get to borrow her and return her when she's bad.
   
   

   

   When asked what her shirt is, she replies "Bot"



5. Tea with friends to honour our friend who has been gone such a short time and yet much too long.
   
   
   

Up next week: My life in places

In preparation for moving into our new home, I am posting the 5 most important places I have lived or visited.

Quilted wall hanging: the tutorial for those who don't know better

Many years ago, I wanted to make a wall hanging for a friend of mine. Yesterday, I found the pictures for the project, so thought I would make a little mini tutorial.

I decided I wanted to do the family's initials in a row. We had often joked combined they spelled KBAM! making them sound like a superhero fight scene. We had KB for the mom, A for The Boy, and M for The Girl.

It always made me laugh because it suited them all so much.

I started with colours I thought suited each one of them. (That, and I had these colours on hand!)

Red for the passionate and life-loving KB, blue for the creeping-nearer-manhood A, and purple with a little flower detail for the sunshine and giggles M.

I cut three 6X6 inch squares out of the material. I intended for the final product to measure approximately 5 inches of colour and then edging, so I gave myself some room. I wasn't particularly concerned about being exact.

That is usually my biggest problem.

I used a chalk to draw the pattern I wanted on each piece. I lined the back of each piece with a thick silver cotton and sandwiched a pick of quilting batting in the middle. Then I took to the sewing machine.

I'm pretty sure in order to do quilting in real life you are supposed to use pins and patterns and... you know, thought.

That's just not me.

I sat down at the sewing machine and went to town.  I'm very lucky it all worked out. Lazy waves for KB, straight lines for A, and a tree branch motif for M.

I am still alternatively pleased and shocked at the way they turned out.

Then, I moved on to the fonts.

I went old school and used Word to choose a font that suited the personality and the style I was going for. I blew the font size up to giant (that's the technical term) and printed it off. It was about 6 years ago or so, so there is likely some fancy way to do this now.

I am not that fancy.

I cut the letters out, laid them on the fabric where I wanted them and pinned them within an inch of their lives. I sewed the paper directly onto the fabric and then picked out all the little pieces with a stitch ripper.

DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME.

It's not dangerous, but you will lose your mind.

I think if I had it to do all over again, I would trace the initials with chalk, but hey! Live and learn.

Please note my tidy and professional work station.

I then sewed the 3 squares together and realized I'd buggered up, so used the silver cotton material to make separations between the letters.

I love making things up as I go along.  A lesser person would cry. I'm just like - Now I will do this!!!

Who am I kidding? I probably cried.

I used the backing material to make an edging all around the outside and finish off everything. I then added a silver ribbon to hang it from.

It wasn't perfect, but neither is family. I think it pretty accurately described them, their personality, and the different ways they approached the world.

When KB moved into her "getting life back on track" apartment, she hung it front and centre on the entrance door.

I could not have been more honoured.

Foyer plans - so many options, no coherent ideas

Though it seems ages away, we are only about 4 or 5 weeks away from moving in to our new house. Walls are primed, plumbing ready, electrical putting in the lights and switches this week. I'm getting antsy and weary and weepy -- partially because it's been so long, it's now so close, and it will still be a long time yet.

As the time comes, I realize how much I have yet to do, how much crap we have, and how much more we need once we get in the house.

I've been thinking more and more about what I want to do with the front entry. Or, foyer, as it is known. For those who do not know, it's called FOY-yay. Not foy-YER. It's French.

So anyway, our front entry is enormous. It is the common entry area for both the main living suite upstairs and the rental suite downstairs. If you look at the drawing below, you will see the basic layout.

Front door (left) Garage door (right)

Now, we already have a bench. The Guy bought it when we were still living in the other house. I haven't seen it in about 9 months, so I have no idea what it looks like any more. If its ugly, we will return it and I have an old bench I will recover, so either way, we have it under control.

Above the bench, I plan to put a mirror.

Mirror from Lowe's

In front of the door, I want to put a large area rug. This will be to catch dirt and pull the room together.  These are the two rugs I like, but neither will look good with the picture I want to put over top of the closet on the 5 foot ledge that is there.

I have a phenomenal painting my Dad brought back from Ukraine one of his first trips there. Long before he got married and ended up settling there. It is a watercolour nature scene of a tree and is in a wooden frame that leans towards being burgundy in colour. I have no picture of this picture at all. 

So, in retrospect, neither of these rugs will really suit it at all.

Do you see my dilemma?

On the wall behind the main door (so directly across from the bench) I want to put this show cabinet. I have become the crazy person who likes everything to be neat and orderly and put away.  (Side note: What has this marriage done to me????) The idea is that The Guy and I will share this with the tenants downstairs so that winter boots or 45 pairs of flip flops are left by the front door (I'm totally talking about me with the flip flops) and yet we will all have access to the shoes we need.

Ikea STALL shoe cabinet

My conundrum aside from the rug choice is the picture choices. There are 5 spots that could be places for paintings, photos, knick knacks, statues, etc. The ledge over the closet (centred green swirl) I wanted to put the painting from Ukraine, two large vases, and a statue of two people entwined.

Over the shoe cabinet, I plan to do something like a small photo gallery.

Do not judge my Paint art gallery.

 The trouble will be the GIANT empty space further along that same wall.  The ceilings are about 10 feet give or take. The space in the top left green swirl is about 4 feet wide. Over the stairs going down  (not swirled) is another 3 foot space where I plan to put some sort of saying in sticky letters.

Going along the wall heading upstairs (top right green swirl) is room for 3 or 4 photos "walking" up along the stairs.  There is NOTHING BUT WALL SPACE in this foyer.

Seriously. SO MANY OPTIONS.

So, I am calling upon the designers, the artists, the nosey, the opinionated to share with me their thoughts. I don't want to overwhelm the space. I don't want it to be so busy no one can stand to be there.  However, I also don't want it so empty it looks like an entryway to an apartment building.

And yet, if it meant I could move in tomorrow, I would paint it all orange and hang whips on the walls.

Seven years and no itch in sight

Seven years ago, I was complaining about how much I hated dating. I fervently wished someone would just arrange a marriage for me so I didn't have to think about it.

Then I went for coffee with The Guy.

We were so young!

I liked him - he was tall and funny - but I was sure the world would stop spinning and birds would sing as soon as I met "the one" so I didn't know if I was convinced.

I was so naive.

The thing was: I couldn't stop thinking about him. He was funny and interesting and after a few dates I knew he was pretty special.  I realized I didn't want him NOT to be in my life.

I think back to that girl I was back then. Scattered, emotionally damaged, wandering but on a holding pattern, and, honestly, a bit of a tool.

The Guy had a lot to do with me calming down and getting more focused. He helped me relax and be more comfortable with who I am, so I'm not so worried about being silly.  I am a better person now because he has been in my life and I like to think he's better too.

That's what the me of 7 years ago didn't get.  Love isn't about earth shaking and harps playing - it's about two people who make each other better versions of themselves. It's about little things every day that show love and appreciation.

2014 - it's our year

I'm glad that girl smartened up. I'm glad she took a chance.  

I'm reaping the benefits.

And there are still a lot more to come.

Recharging for Thankful Thursday

1. After the worst weekend I've worked in a long time, I've had 3 days to do nothing but nap, eat, nap, watch TV, and walk the dog.


2. The extremely frigid weather broke for a bit. It's meant more snow, but we have been able to go outside and that means more than I can say.
   
   
   
   
   



3. I've had some time to catch up on Walking Dead episodes. Darryl breaks my heart. As my sister said, "He is equally sexy and repugnant, but I love him".






4. Surprising pops of colour in an otherwise white landscape
   
   
   



5. Supper and drinks with friends tonight before I head back to work tomorrow. Bring on the pork ribs!

Scaring the JWs away: Post from the Past

This is my friend Lindsay's favourite story. It originally appeared on Buggering Crap Monkies in April of 2011.  I have since wiped it from my memory and only remember it when she brings it up and laughs and laughs.

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For some reason, every house I've lived in has come with its own set of Jehovah's Witnesses. They come around every few months to drop off literature and see if I'm willing to join them on the dark side at their church.

When I moved into my first apartment, a mid-twenties girl arrived.  She asked if she could come in and talk, so -- being that I was lonely and completely naive -- I let her in. It took me about 20 minutes to realize she was a JW, but I liked her and she wasn't very pushy so we chatted quite some time. She visited me about 3 times before being horribly injured in a skiing accident.

Two stern middle-aged women replaced her and it took me ages to figure out how to kick them out of my apartment. In the end, I just stopped answering the door. I would listen to them shuffle outside my apartment and hope they couldn't hear me breathing.

I felt like I was in a terribly lame movie about a girl being chased to her death by women in long flowered dresses and heavy shoes.

When I moved back to my home city, a pair of JWs arrived on my doorstep within days of moving in. I felt like I had been sold out by the Welcome Wagon who had arrived first with baskets of goodies and coupons only to pass my name on as someone willing to open her door to strangers.

This pair of JWs was not as sweet as my first visitor, but not as off putting as her replacements. They continued to come back to the house though I assured them I was happy with my own church and that I did know about Jesus - thank you very much.

Finally, I decided to turn their tactics against them. I had a handout from one of our church functions, so made a point of trying to make them take it and read it and get back to me on what they thought. They never came back.

When I finally bought my own home, a new group came by. Despite me frightening them with bad hair, they continued to return to the house. For my 30th birthday, I allowed myself to ask the most determined of the group to stop coming by. It worked.

Until I moved again.

Now, in our new place, we've had a couple of drive by JWs. They come, ring the bell, and by the time I get there they hand me some paperwork and carry on. None seem to want to make conversation. It could be that every one of them have come before 10am.

Anyone who knows me know I am not awake before 10am very often. And certainly never willingly.

This particular morning, I stumbled from bed with the dog barking madly because the door bell had rung. I threw a zip up sweater on over my tank top and tripped over the dog getting to the door.

Two men stood there. They mumbled something, thrust a paper into my hand and almost ran down the steps. I was glad it didn't take long, but was confused by their reaction.

That is, until I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. One boob was not fully covered by the tank top.

I may be put on the "do not contact" list after this.

House update: Kitchen and bathroom details

On Friday, we met with our builder to pick out kitchen and bathroom basics.  This was one of the few things I had not fully researched before showing up, so I relied on the professionals to guide me. I was glad both our sales people at the different stores were women so they could help me out vote The Guy if need be.

Though we stopped at the plumbing store first, I am more excited about the kitchen details than the faucets. They are great faucets, but still.

The Guy and I brought in all the samples of our choices thus far. It looked silly lugging in huge chunks of tile and large colour swatches, but the lady was very patient.  We went over to the cupboard door choices and agreed on a style and stain almost immediately. It was a little too easy!!

A collage of our choices.
Top row: Our colours and flooring and the quartz countertop
Bottom row: the pattern for our cupboard doors and the stain choice

The pulls on all the cupboards

At the last minute, The Guy and I decided we were going to upgrade the counters in our area of the house. (Sorry renters!)  The sales woman (the most stylish and chic redhead I've ever met -- sorry, Sabbie!) led me over to the quartz and helped me pick what would 1) match all the rooms in the house, 2) be easy to maintain, 3) be tough to damage, and 4) hide all the crumbs.

I was super happy with our choice -- especially because I got to choose it while The Guy and The Builder were watching the hockey game.  However, once she tidied all the samples up, I couldn't pick it out from all the others.  Apparently, they all look the same to me!

The kitchen faucet

The kitchen faucet was pretty easy to pick too. I explained my fear of the pull out sprayer dangling like a old man into the sink once the pull wore out and they explained there is now a fancy magnet in there to keep it from doing so. After that, I was sold.

The pièce de résistance was when The Builder asked me about pot drawers. "Pot what?" I asked.  Pot drawers. Fantastic, huge, deep, pull out drawers with dividers so I can easily store, organize, and find pots without banging and clanging them all to get to the one I need which is in the back of the cupboard underneath things I haven't used in 5 years. When I saw the drawer, I could have hugged him.

I believe I did squeal with glee and clap my hands.

Come to think of it, I did that a lot during our shopping.

Now, on to the bathroom.  Here is a picture of what the counters and cupboards will look like with the bathroom colours.  Of course, remember the stain is darker than it appears in this picture. I have no idea why it looks so bright here.

The bathroom palette

I did not realize the ordeal that picking out bathroom fixtures would be. There were a lot of choices and a lot of them ugly or entirely (and creepily) phallic.  The sales lady, Cheryl (I got her card) showed me what was standard and what their salesman had chosen. She asked if I liked it.

No. No, was the answer.  So, we moved on.  I picked another package that was the same price, but SO MUCH BETTER.  Moen Rizon shower and bath accessories.

Top row: the shower faucets for each bathroom with the Delta In2ition head
Bottom row: the master bath faucet
with ($250 upgrade) sprayer! (I'm going to need another job)
and the bathroom sink faucet

I could not be happier. However, this shopping spree will be dang expensive when they send the upgrade bill to me (not to The Guy... I didn't want his head to explode) and it all came with the news that the move in date will be May 1 now.  Only 6 months later than we planned... no big.

Oh well, until then I get to decorate in my head.

Most thankfullest of days: Organization, acts of kindness, and colours

I am so busy these days I can hardly keep up, but I haven't been this happy and fulfilled in a long time.  There are still things to work on, but on the whole, life is good. REALLY GOOD.  And, I want to share it with you.

Lake Ontario (pic circa 2012)

1. I am loving my new position at work. I have organized, shredded, written, re-written, and cleaned. I'm in 7th heaven. I'm excited to go to work and have trouble leaving at the end of the night. 
2. This weekend The Guy and I are going to finalize all our paint choices for the house. The basement is framed, electrical is done, plumbing is started, and choice time is coming! It's like Christmas for my inner-interior decorator. Check back for updates on colours next week!!!
   





KB and kids from long ago



3. My good friend, Chris, has started a wonderful project in the name of his late wife and my dear friend, KB.  KB was the kindest person I knew and often went out of her way to be kind for no reason. He has harnessed that in the website: Kindness by KB where he writes of her kindness and encourages all of us to be kind to ourselves, to our people, and to complete strangers. He also started a Facebook page where he (and myself and Wynn Anne) will have daily kindness challenges and reminders. I'm proud of how he is using his love of all things KB to make the world a better place.
4. I finally finished the shawl I started in November. Now on to gloves for The Guy and a hat I promised a co-worker in Dec! (If only I had time to knit!!)
5. I did a silly quiz on Zimbio.com about which HIMYM character I was. I got Lily. This tickled me pink because The Guy got Marshall. I knew we were great together, but being a sitcom couple only solidified it! Over the head high five!!
6. This week (and last weekend) has been wrought with visits of good friends. Here's to more coffees, lunches, and Skype calls!

Keeping me warm: Winter Solstice Wrap

I began knitting 4 years ago this weekend. I flew out to Victoria to visit my sister and was determined I was going to learn to knit. I needed a craft I could do in front of the TV while I spent time with The Guy. We love to spend time together, but I often need something to do with my hands and it's difficult to hear a movie over the whir of the sewing machine.

I went from a simple scarf to a dog sweater and beyond. I sampled different kinds of yarn and needles and acted like a kid in a candy store around anything knitted. 

I'm still like that.

For my birthday that year, my friend KB bought me 3 large skeins of the most wonderful yarn imaginable. It was llama wool from a local farm outside the city. She had been in the area, thought llamas were cool, and went out of her way to get me that yarn.

I fell in love with it and knew it had to be something special.

Close up of the pattern detail

I'm sure she thought I hated it because 4 years went by and I made nothing.  Bupkis.

I searched patterns high and low. I knew I wanted to keep whatever I made, so it had to be right. I'm always thinking I will keep something and then end up hating it and never wearing it.

Fast forward to this November. I had a tough fall of career stress and disappointment after disappointment. I needed a project to work on that was challenging and beautiful. I stumbled upon this Winter Solstice Wrap pattern off Ravelry.

It was just what I wanted. 

I started knitting, but had to set it aside in order to finish Christmas presents. I meant to tell KB I had started using the yarn and why I had waited so dang long.

The night she was dying, I was knitting that shawl and thinking about her.

I worked on the shawl that week of her funeral. 

Today, I finished it. It is exactly what I wanted. It's perfect. I only notice the two rows I missed of them pattern if I look really close. It's warm and unique and smells oddly like livestock. 

The finished product 

I think KB would like that most of all.

Spiral twist stitch beret

Sometimes I get to make things up. It's not often, but I love when I have an idea and it can come to fruition.  A few weeks ago, a friend was pinning red berets and talking about how much she'd like one. I offered to get right on that! And I did.

Here it is completed (from the back).

Here is a side view.  I love how it is slightly slouchy but not too much.

The top view is my favourite. This pic is the closest to the right colour of what I have.

Finally, a pattern!

Materials
I used KnitPicks CotLin yarn in DK Weight with the Pomegranate colour. (I fell in love with this colour.)
Needles: 4mm circular needle or DPNs 

Instructions

Cast on 8 stitches
You can do this in magic loop version for a circular needle or regularly for DPNs if you prefer - cast on options here 
Place marker at the beginning

Increases

Row 1 - k1 m1 all around (16)
Row 2 - knit all around
Row 3 - k2 m1 to end (24)
Row 4 (Introducing left twist) - leaving 1st stitch on left needle, ktbl of 2nd stitch, k 1st stitch and slip both stitches off the left needle, k1, repeat left twist and k1 to end
Row 5 - k2 m1 k1 - repeat to end (32)
Row 6 - left twist, k2 to end
Row 7 - k2 m1 k2 (40)
Row 8 - left twist, k3 to end
Row 9 - k2 m1 k3 (48)
Row 10 - left twist, k4 to end
Row 11 - k2 m1 k4 (56)
Row 12 - left twist, k5 to end

Continue in this manner until there are 20 stitches in each section (160) ending with an even row.
Once increases are complete, you can decide how slouchy you want your hat. For not very slouchy, go immediately to the decrease section. For slouchier repeat the last even row (left twist, k18) for another inch.

Decreases
Row 1 - k2tg k18 repeat to end (152)
Row 2 - left twist, k18 to end
Row 3 - k2tg k17 repeat to end (144)
Row 4 - left twist, k17 to end
Row 5 - k2tg k16 repeat to end (136)
Row 6 - left twist, k16 to end
Row 7 - k2tg k15 repeat to end (128)
Row 8 - left twist, k15 to end
Row 9 - k2tg k14 repeat to end (120)
Row 10 - left twist, k14 to end

Continue in this manner until you reach 88 stitches

Hat band
Rows 1-10 - k2 p2 repeat to end
Bind off in a stretchy stitch. I prefer the Zimmerman method of sewn bind off.

Voila, you have a hat.