I've gone almost 10 days without touching my blog. This is bad. But today has given me a spirit of "doing things I've been meaning to do but putting off for a while" so here I am. I bet you, my faithful readers, have missed me. (
Hi Mom, Dad, Nana, Morfar, and Randy!) I've missed you, too. There's so much to catch up on, so let me just take one more sip of my wine and an M & M out of the container next to me and I can begin. ;)
My last post was of the
no-bake cookies I made using the side burner of my husband's grill on Tuesday.
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| "Mexican" night |
Since then, we had a couple more grilled meals, turkey sandwiches, and take-out. It's funny, I watch HGTV a lot and whenever they feature a couple "living through a renovation" I feel so relieved. It's nice to know that others experience this and share the same sentiments. Someone will always be telling the "private" camera that he or she is "sick of processed food & eating out or ordering in." Yep. That's about how I feel and have felt for a while now. I feel like I must be gaining weight because of this renovation--I'm too tired to work-out as often as I'd like (
and I have a list 1,000 miles long that I feel the need to chip away at before going to the gym) and I'm eating like crap on most days. It's awful.
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| Grilled steak fajitas |
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| Hangin' out in the cabinets... |
I know there are healthier things to eat even during a kitchen renovation but let me elaborate a little. Most of our kitchen utensils and even food products are distributed among 3-5 different areas or rooms in the house. This makes preparing a PB & J challenging. Never mind a salad. I buy only the boxed greens now because I don't have the patience to chop the lettuce. I also have no countertops so I'm preparing food at a kitchen table in our office (
which now smells like old coffee because this is also where the coffee maker is at the moment) or I'm preparing food on the coffee table while sitting on the sofa. I have a backache, by the way, and I think I might know why. Now, adding to the fact that preparing a healthy meal takes 3-5 times longer than normal, I also have 2 small children who, from the moment they realize that they MIGHT be a little hungry, can't stop whining or complaining or crying. They also can't have salad at every meal--it's just not substantial enough for their growing bodies, plus, Noah still only has 5 teeth so chewing is a challenge. Inevitably, I end up just making for myself what I make for them--PB & J, macaroni & cheese, turkey & cheese, or order a pizza. :/
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| There are some good things about doing a renovation with little kids... cute pictures!!! |
The good news is we got our stove hooked up on Tuesday! It's great, but certainly doesn't solve many problems. I still have no counters so food prep is still just as challenging. I also have no kitchen sink. The first night back with the stove I made
carbonara. It was delicious and felt great to eat a home-cooked meal again. However, I immediately regretted it when it came to clean up time. A bathroom sink isn't designed to handle food particles, so every dish and pan needs to be cleaned of crumbs before it's washed. Plus, not many of my pans will fit in the bathroom sink to wash; certainly not my large skillet or stock-pot for pasta! I have now washed dishes in the bathroom sink, tub, and with the hose outside. Ugh!
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| BBQ chicken sandwich with blackjack margarita (recipe follows) |
I now feel like I am simply emotionally "vomitting" all over this post. I don't want to publish something that simply consists of me complaining. Things are going well, they are! They are just challenging at the moment. Rooms are getting painted. Our storage space in the basement is organized. I've even been able to put out some of my typical home decor and some fall decorations which helps this feel more like home and less like a construction site. (
Next thing Randy knows, his hammer will be wrapped in an autumn leaf wreath.) ;) I am also in the process of learning some things through this ordeal.
One thing I'm taking away is to not take things too seriously. Abby's preschool hasn't been as consistent as I would like this week as I struggle to accomplish more around the house. As a former teacher myself, it's really tough to plan a week of teaching (
even if it's only 30 minute lessons a day) and not see them come to fruition. But Abby will only be 3 in a couple weeks. Her playtime is also educational time right now. I'm doing what I can and trying hard not to get hung up on what I don't do with her. She has done some great crafts and enjoyed reading some fun books with me! We are starting our "apple" unit and going apple-picking tomorrow which will be a lot of fun! I'm excited to get my kitchen back so she and I can bake together again. This weather always puts me in a baking mood and I'm anxious to get back at it!
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| After reading "Froggy Goes to School" we made froggy fingerprints on paper... "flop flop flop!" |
Another thing I'm learning is patience. Of course, I've had to be patient with the kitchen project, but in other areas, too. I'm not much of a shopper. I don't bargain-hunt because I don't have the patience for it. When I know what I want to buy, I usually just buy it no matter the price. I mean, if I think it will be easy to get a coupon or a better deal nearby, I'll do it. But I won't spend hours, days, or weeks searching for a better price. When I know what I want, I want it right away. But Randy and I aren't millionaires. Our new home isn't all decked out the way I want it to be yet. I'm just now learning to slow down a bit. I am trying to make our home as pleasant and "homey" as possible with what we have now and just wait until I CAN find a good price on something I want or wait until we have more money for it. This is hard for me. But I'm learning. I'm learning patience and how to live and deal
with imperfection in my home.
So this weekend I'll be making a cake for my grandmother's 80th birthday. It will be the lemon-blueberry cake with lavender frosting I made for my girlfriends a little while ago. I will post the recipe and pictures when it's done. I sincerely hope that next week I will be back on my game in the kitchen and on the computer. :) And say a little prayer with me that the countertops & kitchen sink go in this weekend!!!
Blackjack Margaritas
serves 2
3 oz tequila
1 oz triple sec
1 oz Chambord raspberry liqueur (or we use Blackberry Brandy)
8 oz lime juice
ice
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