Settling in

Poo.  The kids have gone home and taken their puppies with them.  But we had a great weekend.  No hustle and bustle trying to entertain everyone or showing them the city, just relaxing and chilling at home.  It felt longer than a couple weeks since I've seen them, so I can only imagine what the next few weeks will be like.  I'm planning to be back in Midland around the first of next month for Addison's birthday, but I'm sure with each visit this will get easier and feel more normal.

As much as I'm missing though - my family, my friends, and my job - I really love living here.  Tulsa is an easy city to get around, it's easy on the eyes, and the people have been friendly.

Okay, there was that one woman who came by and somewhere in the conversation said "good luck keeping up the landscaping the way the previous owners did."  Oh okay.  I guess I was exuding the lazy-white-trash-look that day.

And I'll be on yard duty this morning, meaning I'll be standing outside MY house around the time the school bus kids starting walking right up by my kitchen windows.  Maybe I should be taking pictures - I'm thinking something will get their attention eventually.

My vintage kitchen

When the girls were little and their dad and I were still married, I went to a lot of garage and estate sales. A LOT of sales. It wasn't necessarily because we didn't have the money to buy things new, but I just liked the idea of finding bargains. I might have gotten a little carried away at times. I remember sitting in my living room in the house on Neely and looking around at all the items that came from these sales. I was proud of this. Why, I'm not sure. The girls wore clothes I bought second-hand, too, and wow do I regret that when I look back at home movies. Anyway, here are some kitchen finds that I love and use to this day:

I got this odd-shaped pan for $4.00, and it still has the price written on the bottom in permanent marker. I use it as a landing spot for hot wings, fried potatoes, and whatever we're pulling off the grill. Buying something at an estate sale means it usually belonged to someone elderly. I like to make the assumption that because of this, these are quality pieces. I tell myself that that generation thought carefully about what they bought and therefore made quality purchases. I could write a whole post on the things I tell myself about the elderly. But I digress...

This is my favorite find. I've made countless batches of salsa in this food processor. It was used when I bought it, and I've had it for probably 12 years. I rarely use it for anything else, and if you look closely you'll probably see residual salsa. I don't clean it that well. And what is that brand, Moulinex? It must be special because it's not just "La Machine," it's "La Machine II!"

I bought this double boiler at an estate sale. I use the bottom pot frequently, but I use the double boiler for only two things: homemade banana pudding and melting chocolate for buckeyes. I happen to be making buckeyes right now for a friend who just had her wisdom teeth removed. Despite how beat up it is, I love that it has a copper bottom and that it's the easiest pot to clean that I own. (Check out my vintage stovetop knobs in the background - awesome!)

Alan and I used to go to garage and estate sales pretty frequently. I think it started out as cheap entertainment when that was the only kind of entertainment we could afford, and then we just continued because we always had a good time together. We haven't been going for quite a while now. Kind of hard to do when Alan runs most Saturday mornings and pretty much every other morning of his life. I miss it.

Crap

As I'm pondering the fact that I need to clean out my closet again, something I do a couple times a year, I've made a decision. With each year I get older, my goal is to have less crap in my closets, the garage, the attic, etc. than the year before. I don't want my kids to have to go through piles of crap when I die. And attention to my parents: I have no intention of systematically and sentimentally combing through all your crap when you die. I'll be hiring an estate sale specialist to do that. No offense, but I don't know of any possessions you have that I need to add to my crap.

Um, sometimes I get in these moods when clutter drives me crazy. And right now it's bugging me. Our garage is out of control. My closet is ridiculous. There is crap on the dining table, the dining table that I try to keep polished and pretty even though no one ever sits there except Junior and all his HAIR. Speaking of Junior, he proudly rolls around in the mulch when I go outside and make eye contact with him. What is that about? Then he comes in the house and leaves a trail of dust and mulch everywhere on the already disgusting carpet.

I think I better go clean something to get out of this mood.

I spy a finished project...

It's done:

I had the honors of taking the first bath, and a bubble bath at that. I don't take baths in this house, because I have a thing about old icky bathrooms. So it's been a while since I've had a bath. I believe I'm a bit fatter around the middle since my last one. If you're having a fat day, taking a bath is a bad idea. Everything seems to expand in all the wrong places and float to the top like a buoy. And the bubbles didn't help hide it, either. I did discover, however, that a nice soaking bath is a great way to remove paint and caulk from your skin!

The room could use a little decorating, but I'll get to that later. All that matters is we're through, and we're still married. :-)

The porch is also done, minus ceiling paint:

I think if I were an outsider looking in, I'd be thinking "um, big deal." It's just a plain ole porch. But if you had seen it before - the dated, closed-in walls with the siding that was literally falling off, you'd appreciate this as much as I do. It feels so much better.

I don't know what the next project is. For now, my nails are clean and I get to read my book that's been sitting patiently on the couch.

Independence

I've probably said before that I believe in the motto, "if you want something done, do it yourself," as it pertains to women. I think girls/women should learn to be self-reliant. You're not always going to have a guy around, so be able to take care of yourself.

I like conquering (or at least trying to conquer) things around the house: vacuum cleaners, garbage disposals, clogged toilets, etc. And so I'm thrilled that I've finally figured out the new gas-powered edger/weedeater combination thingy we bought. We bought it for ME, so I was really getting frustrated that I was having so much trouble with it. It's so friggin heavy, and although I'm not teeny-tiny, I'm not a big girl either. But I'm proud to say I can now manipulate that power tool like a samurai sword! Although I am worried that by summer's end my right arm will look like Popeye's.

Now this doesn't mean that I don't need a man. I need one in particular and would never want to live without Alan. And I will gladly accept the things he does for me that I could and should do myself. He brings me aspirin and a glass of water. He gets me a blanket (sometimes he throws it at me, but hey - same end result). He pumps the gas in my car and cleans the windows while I just sit there enjoying the breeze. The point is, I can take care of myself if I need to. I just don't always want to.

On being single

Okay, clearly I'm not and don't want to be. I'm just making observations this week, this being the first time I can remember when I've been completely by myself for a whole week:

- I would probably be super skinny and healthy. I could live on vegetables with some occasional Cheetos and Girl Scout cookies thrown in. But mostly vegetables.

- I can watch "my shows" whenever I want. Alan and I have many things we like to watch together and a few things we don't. I'm sure if I were gone for several days he'd be watching Family Guy, Squawk Box, or any movie he's seen 10+ times already. I've been watching a million episodes of House Hunters International.

- I wonder how long it would be before I could sleep comfortably in the bedroom and not on the couch. Considering the news of burglaries in the surrounding neighborhood over the past few months, I'm not loving the idea of sleeping where I can't hear someone trying to break in. These particular burglaries take place at night while people are at home in bed. It's as if the burglars WANT to confront the homeowners. Creepy.

- It's not a good idea to watch scary movies by yourself. See above.

- It takes a good 5-6 days to fill the dishwasher. Likewise on the washing machine. And come to think of it, the trash. But I still don't like taking the trash out, even if it's only been once this week.

- I just can't walk the dog as much as Alan. He takes Duke for a walk every day, religiously. Literally, rain, sleet, or snow. I've witnessed it.

- The house is cleaner, yes. But I find a clean house is typically an empty house and thus, a lonely house.

I'm ready to be married again.

If I remember correctly, it was Alan who found him and wanted to keep him.

I spent several months looking for a new dining table and chairs. I sold the old set on Craig's List back in October or November and started looking for a replacement that I could keep for many years. I quickly found the table, but it took longer to find the perfect chairs. Several weeks ago I found these gorgeous chocolate leather chairs from Overstock.com, and then a couple weeks later found the two rust-colored leather end chairs from Pier One. So basically I bought the whole set piecemeal, but it turned out really pretty and somewhat eclectic....just what I wanted.

I owned the previous set for about 13 years. It was so outdated - purchased when "country" was still the rage. This new set is anything but country!

So...imagine my dismay when 5 days after bringing home the end chairs and thus finishing the set, I discover this:

Yeah. Those are teeth marks. Anyone want a cat?

Coming Soon

With temps at 90 degrees the past couple of days, it didn't seem right to have a wintry photo scene on the banner. This was the beginning of spring looking out my kitchen window last year. Can't wait for my favorite season!

As Seen on TV

We own this one piece of furniture that causes much concern (if not fear!) and cursing each time we have to move it. It's an armoire, about a hundred years old, with dangerously wobbly legs that twist and pinch any time it's moved. But this piece is our only antique and really quite pretty, and therefore worth the trouble. We've been wanting to move it into the guest bedroom for quite some time, and Alan recently had the idea of getting the Forearm Forklift. Have you seen those silly commercials where they stop people in the middle of a mall and ask them to move a refrigerator across the floor by strapping on the "Forklift?"

Well listen up my TV-watching America - that thing is awesome! We bought the forklift and as soon as we got home started moving the armoire with ease.

Little did we know that despite how easy it was, we needed additional help:

Lots of help.

And still more help.

Out with the old...

The past week or so we've replaced a few old things with items of this century. The plain, white toaster that probably cost $10 at the time, has been replaced with one that does more than I'm sure is necessary. And the hand-me-down coffee pot that did its job just fine but just wasn't pretty enough, now has a large, stainless steel, programmable version sitting in its former spot on the counter. But most importantly, the ugly black and grey computer chair that stabbed you in the elbows because the armrest padding had disintegrated somewhere, is now replaced with this:



As if we didn't spend enough time on the computer.

Neglect and Renewal

I'm usually particular about having grass and weeds in my flower beds, not to mention renegade vines, but being preoccupied with other things has really taken a toll on our yard and landscaping. Ouch.



I just haven't had the desire or motivation to do anything outside, and the mosquitoes and flies have only been adding to my list of excuses. I haven't even taken the time to fill a jug of water and nourish my potted plants. Poor babies!





So I awoke today with a renewed sense of Destroy and Conquer! The vines are gone, the invasive grass and weeds have been chemically altered (sorry, Mother Earth), and the plants are finally watered. I may even buy some pretty fall mums today and get back to a once favorite pasttime.

A much needed manicure

Most of our weekend consisted of yard work, and we'd let so many things go that there was a ton to do. Between the potato vine explosion and the passion vine that intrudes on anything in its path, it was like Little Shop of Horrors in the backyard. This is the potato vine "under control," but that's a relative term:



We also replaced the mulch in all the flower beds, both front and back, which ended up being two trips to Home Depot and 15 bags of mulch. I'm going to pass on telling about my Home Depot experience, for now. Anyway, I like the new dark brown:



But sometimes the best things in nature are those that happen naturally. We inherited this old chair when we bought the house, but I had nothing to do with the Morning Glory that popped up this year and made its claim:



Sweet!

Emo

Three shows made me teary today:

Evan Almighty
The Dog Whisperer
Jon and Kate plus 8

No idea what's going on with the waterworks, but I think it's clear I had a couch potato day. I feel it was well-deserved since I first mowed and weedeated the front and back lawns with our wonderful Sears mower whose self-propel mechanism went out. And then there's our weedeater. Oh, the expletives the neighbors must hear when I'm weedeating! Probably got it from Sears, too.

Maybe I'll make tomorrow a reading day. Actually that still means spending an excessive amount of time on the couch, but in a few short months I won't remember what a lazy day felt like.

Smokin' hot

I've gotten to where I love roasting vegetables - squash, zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus, green peppers, you name it. Besides being a healthy way to eat veggies, it also seems to be the most flavorful. So how charming of my Brady Bunch non-self cleaning oven to start smoking up the kitchen every time I set the temperature over 350. Someday this oven, along with its vintage stovetop counterpart, will be replaced. But for now I'll just keep opening the windows and running the venthood fan when necessary. If anyone has good roasting tips or ideas on foods that are good roasted, let me know!



I'd take this over a steak any day.

Lucky

I'm going through one of those times where I have absolutely nothing to share. So here's the latest:

• School is almost over but still very busy tying up loose ends.
• It has been volcano hot here the past week.
• Karl and Ashley and the kiddos are visiting this weekend. Fun!
• I found a swimsuit for our summer trips that I'm not mortified to be seen in.
• Bailey will be leaving for camp in a week.
• The mosquitoes have arrived.
• My gradebook is completed.
• There is SO much to look forward to this summer. I'm ready to get started!

Where I pour my coffee

Our house is old and unremarkable, but there are small spaces here and there that I like. Like this old wooden window above the kitchen sink. There's something about standing there looking out at the yard or the vine or the birds or whatever that's just really relaxing in what is currently my hectic life. Sometimes simplicity is okay.

Doors are opening and closing

Is there drama in boys' sports like there is in girls? The answer is YES, because there will always be MOMS. I hate troublemakers and complainers, but I did a fairly decent job keeping my mouth shut yesterday while all the bitching was going on, and that's no small task for me. The end result is that our season may be abruptly over. But the good news is that many feelings were hurt, too! Grrrr...

But we're back home early, and today Alan and I have some work to do on the garage. New garage doors (with openers!) are coming later in the week, and last Friday Alan had a guy come out to replace all the wood trim and molding around the doors. So today we'll be outside caulking and priming and painting the bare wood. It hasn't rained here in forever, so I'm thinking today's our lucky day.

Here's what we won't have to look at after Friday. Notice the bowing at the bottom? That's where I backed into it from inside the garage a few months ago:

Whinings and Whippings

It's very cliche, but this morning as the alarm went off I had to wonder if I really had a weekend. I guess I did though, since there's a nicely mowed and manicured lawn to prove it.

We had a volleyball round robin yesterday that took about two hours longer than normal, and a volleyball weekend just wouldn't be complete without drama. Put a bunch of teenage girls together, and I guess the odds are there'll be some dramatics. Whatever. Maybe next year we'll have a club team that actually wants to compete, attend the tournaments, etc. without complaining.

And my week of teaching got off to a grand start today with a trip to the office to witness my first paddling. Not pleasant, but not as awful as I thought. I felt for the kid, but some things have to happen. I hope it doesn't happen again.

It wasn't a fascinating post, but I'm trying to keep blogging regardless of what's going on.

Babysitting

We're babysitting a Maltipoo for a couple days.

We're going to be busy.

Bargain shopping...should have put it on the list.

I don't know what's gotten into Pier One, but they currently have an explosion of cute things that are CHEAP! Not that Pier One is really expensive, but I wouldn't call them mindful of my pocket book. I got these candles for $3.50 each. Very cute outside on the patio. We'll get to use them for maybe another month or so before the Texas size mosquitoes and flies make outdoor dining a fond memory.