My Mother

So as you can imagine, it's been go go go these last few weeks. It's no surprise after all the running around I finally caught something. I had been feeling physically too good for too long. I've been coming down with something for over a week now and today seemed to be the worst of it. ( Let's not jinx it.) So today while I was sitting on the bathroom floor deciding if I could just live there, I had a mild freakout. I haven't bought groceries in over a week. The meal plan I made can't be done without the groceries, there isn't really anything in the house that Tony can make for his dinner and work lunch without waking up hours earlier, and I've been living on ramen because it seems to be the only thing I can keep down.

So I broke down and called my mother. 

I cannot describe how much I appreciate my mother and how she's always ready to help no matter what it is. So she was ready to go with some hamburger and beans dish for Tony for his lunch, some really good quality hot dogs, a pizza for later, and Sprite and crackers for me.
Clear sodas and crackers. are. magical. You forget how good they are when you aren't sick.
You can also forget how good your mother is when you don't need something. Thankfully, I've reached that point in my life I never thought I'd get to. I've finally reached that "your mother is your friend" point past the teen angst garbage.
As I've been going through this process of being a stay at home "wife", there are a few things I realized and came to respect about my mother. Today I'll be giving you 3 things I realized. We'll keep it short so I can go lie down again.

My Mother is NOT Lazy
As a nasty angsty teenager that really needed anti-anxiety medication, I thought my mother was the laziest mother on the planet. I would come home from school and she'd be napping. On the weekend she'd be napping by noon. What I didn't get? My mother wasn't napping because she's lazy. She was napping because she was EXHAUSTED. I never saw her getting up at 4 in the morning, cooking multiple meals because of multiple picky eaters in the house and for my father's lunch, the multiple loads of laundry washed AND put away, grocery shopping, running crap to me at school, vacuuming and washing dishes and ON AND ON.
I get it now. Dear God, do I get it now.

Just Because I Didn't See a Change in the House Doesn't Mean She Didn't Do Anything
The basic concept of "if she had done nothing at all, the house would be worse, not the same" never occurred to me until I was much much older than I ever should have been to be first realizing it. The work piles up visibly in a day. It is constant work. Constant. Improvement? Not if she had to take care of a schmuck like me. My immaturity and need to see flaws in the main authority in my life overshadowed basic sense.

The Reason She Eats in the Kitchen Isn't Because She Hates Socializing During Dinner

She wants to sit down, I promise you. She feels an overwhelming need to make sure everyone else has their food first. To produce enough hot food for everyone and make sure she herself gets some of the hot food, she eats on her feet while she continues to make food. Either eat it hot in the kitchen or chance not getting any of the food you made. I've struggled with this and it's just Tony and I. I can't imagine feeding 5 children and a husband and manage for all of them to get hot food let alone for me to get hot food. I've quietly been making food sacrifices without letting Tony know (now you know, honey... oops!) since we've been together to make sure he always has enough. He needs the fuel to keep going at work and I can snack on odds and ends here at home. I cannot imagine how many food sacrifices (let alone all other sorts of sacrifices) my mother has made over the years. My eldest brother is in his 40's. She's been making these sacrifices for over 4 decades and I never knew until I was in a similar place in my life. I never saw them, and when I did, I still didn't SEE it.

I see it now quite clearly even if I haven't gone through nearly so much. I haven't experienced it on any sort of level she has, but I've definitely gained invaluable insight.

So thank you mom. I wish I could say it more.

picture provided by Pexels

Getting Up to Speed

First let me start by saying the Happiest of Birthdays to my father! I wish you the very chillest of days. Continue enjoying the retirement, old man!

So let's catch up. What have we been doing anyway?

Well first, we ran away to Chicago.

We ate some delicious food

We had our very first authentic Chicago Deep Dish Pizza at Lou Malnati's. It absolutely blew us away!
Their Tiramisu is also magical

I returned to the Rainforest Cafe and Tony experienced it for the first time

Tony ruined himself for other hot dogs with this Chicago hotdog from a street vendor

 We went to the Shedd Aquarium. We could have spent days there!

 

 

But we were happy to come home to our babies

 

I resumed cooking meals

This oh so satisfying Ham and Cheese Hash Brown casserole

My first attempt at pork chops (success in cooking, failure in picture taking)

This old staple I call "Italian slop" which is delicious but always looks terrible

This Crab Rangoon Dip that didn't last us the night from sheer amazingness

And this "super easy!" Chicken Dumpling mess that was just doughy and gross

I also managed french bread pizzas (topped with green pepper from our garden!), lasagna, some stovetop helper meals, and a few other unmemorable meals.
We also had a couple treats

These chocolate chip cookies that I made for the very first time

 

And this fry that's happy to see us

We've been doing all those things that should be normal but are new to us. Cleaning, budgeting, the occasional nap. We've decorated for Halloween and have been enjoying the season! We welcomed a baby niece (Tony's first "uncling" and my SIXTH "aunting") and a new sister-in-law (about time, Shannon and Steve!)! We got the last of our produce from our garden, have started a family game night, and I may or may not have eaten through 2 or 3 books. Life may not be the easiest, but we are so very happy.

 

DIY Halloween Yard Art

Woopsie Daisies

September got away from me.
That, of course, is a gross understatement.

Let me say how much I love Halloween. I start planning next year's Halloween typically during the current Halloween season. I have 5 tubs of indoor Halloween decorations as well as large pieces kept in the garage. I have enough tombstones for a front yard cemetery that you have to drive by at a small distance to be able to see it all.

So when I missed the first of October, please understand how horridly shamed I am. Not only did I not get my DIY Halloween post out at the end of September, but I haven't even decorated the yard. October 1st is the day Halloween explodes onto my yard all at once and somehow, this year, it hasn't.

At the end of September, Tony and I went on vacation. This was a very big deal for us both as individuals and as a couple. Except for a band trip I took as a freshman in high school, I haven't ever gone on vacation. It just isn't something my family ever did. As an adult I've never been able to afford to go on vacation, and when I could, there wasn't anyone to cover my cleaning locations. Tony and I have never gone away together, let alone 4 hours alone in the car together. But! I'll post about our vacation later.

So let's talk about that DIY Halloween project.

 

We have both enjoyed Pokémon for many years. Tony has played the Gameboy games, avidly watched the television show, and collected the first generation trading cards. I personally started playing the Pokémon TCG a few years ago and have been hooked ever since. Shout out to Gnome Games in Green Bay and (at the time) 7 year old Libby who gave me the worst beat down I've ever received in a game. Since the launch of PokémonGO! this summer, we have been living Pokémon. So why not haunt our yard for Halloween with them?

So I used my special tool. My go-to source of help and information (and an SUV) is my father. I stole him from my mother and we hit up Home Depot's lumber department. I decided on wood cut outs as soon as I had the idea so my father helped my pick out a suitable thickness of wood. Do I remember the thickness? Nah. But here it is in our living room.

  

 The supplies I used were the wood paneling, pencils, permanent marker, and Google image search!

I'm pretty good at drawing already existing images, but cannot for the life of me create a whole new image from my own mind. Now since I'm keeping these cut-outs for myself and won't be using them in any manner that will bring in money for myself, I'm not particularly concerned about Trademarks. However, should you decide to do a project like this and would be selling them, make sure your backside is covered, okay?

So I decided to keep the number of images down. I planned on only making 4-5 cutouts so that I don't overdo it and actually FINISH the project!

I went with these 4 creatures! I drew them out with pencil first and drew over the final design with permanent marker. My fabulous father cut them out for me with a jigsaw.

After having them cut out, I made sure to sand the edges. It's kind of important, so make sure to do it!

So let's get painting! I did the majority of my painting with spray paint. If you decide to go this route, paint the whole thing white first. Unsealed materials are notoriously difficult to get a good spray paint coat on. It just soaks in, and in the case of wood grain, you can still see all the swirls and lines. I used Dutch Boy's Dura Clean paint + primer in a flat white for exterior. I chose a flat paint so the spray paint would adhere better. It's an acrylic latex paint so it's ridiculously easy to clean up. After painting them with 2 coats (with dry time in between) I went to town. I chose spray paints that are a combination of glossy and flat. At the end I sealed them with a glossy outdoor sealer anyway, so it didn't really matter for those. I did all my spray painting outside on the lush grassy areas of my yard. It didn't hit the root systems that way and would just get cut off during the next mowing. You absolutely can kill your grass if you spray on the short stuff, so be warned!

 

Some were a little trickier to paint. I employed a technique I learned in high school. Instead of expensive artist tape, I used cheap cheap cheap masking tape and it worked great! 

I cheated on the details. I tried doing nice lines in a black paint, but I just don't have a fine enough brush for it. How did I manage it then? Black permanent marker over the top of the paint. Sharpie to be exact. When I was happy with the look, I took them outside and sealed them all with a clear glossy exterior spray. On 2 of them, my father attached a wood stand to the back fastened by a door hinge so they can fold away flat for storage. On the Haunter I completed, I attached an eye hook to the top, and a metal bracket for hanging on the Ghastly. So now all that was left was to place them!

Ghastly

Muk

Haunter

 

Thanks for stopping by! Check us out next week with an update on the domestics!

5 Domestic Habits to Break

5 Domestic Habits to Break 

to Improve Your Life

I don't have my crap together, I imagine a lot of people don't. Here's a beginning list of bad habits I personally have that I know breaking will improve our lives.

1. Leaving the dishes for later

• Dried on food is a pain. Moldy dried on food is the worst. At least giving a quick rinse to dishes will make it faster should you decide to put it off. You can soak dishes, but if you're like me, they'll “soak” for 2 days

2. Setting things down on the kitchen table/end table by the door

• A big no no for us. We can't find our kitchen table. Why? It's one of the first surfaces when you come in the door. This is a GREAT way to lose mail you should have opened. This is also lost usable space. We've all read or at least seen the articles on eating at the table, so if you have a table, don't just use it for a garbage dump. You'll also feel better about having guests over. Sitting around the table is an awesome interaction space. You've now opened yourself up for so many more activities! Board games, card games that, sure, you could play on the floor, are so much less back breaking and relaxing at a table. Let's not forget you can start hosting like the almost-adult you are. 
  
  
  
  
  

3. Leaving dishes, cans, and bottles around the house

• Just pick it up. You don't even need to make an extra trip. Take it with you when you get up. Unless you've grown to the furniture, you're going to get up eventually. Save yourself from scrambling around because suddenly it's recycling day and most of your recycling is still laying around the house. You'll feel better when you don't need to shove 5 empty soda cans off to the side to find a coaster.

 

4. Cleaning “whenever”

• Make a schedule for cleaning certain things. It'll help you avoid those sudden realizations that EVERYTHING needs cleaning. Not only will you not have a massive cleaning come due, but cleaning on a regular interval whether it really needs it or not helps decrease the amount of effort it takes to clean. You avoid nasty build up and keep your environment healthier. Don't wait for cat hair tumbleweeds on the carpet to vacuum. And guess what? You don't need to be a doctor or scientist to know that with a clean environment you won't just feel healthier, you'll BE healthier. If it isn't growing in your house, you are less likely to breathe it in.

5. Not planning meals

• We all wing it from time to time. Deciding to order a pizza is A-okay! The thing is, you COULD live that way and be alright, but we aren't looking for “alright”. Planning your meals if nothing else is COST EFFECTIVE. Plan both what to eat and how much time it takes to make it. Having the time to make your food saves you on those pre-prepared food costs. Knowing what you'll be eating throughout the week saves time and gas. One trip to the store is the goal. You can stay on budget better because you aren't popping back into the store and picking up those little impulse buys we all love. If you do forget something vital, make Quick In- Quick Out your mission and stick to it! The longer you spend in the store, the more likely you are to buy. So get in, get out!

So now we have some goals. Are they easy? In concept, absolutely. In execution? If they were, we'd all already be rid of habits like these. And that's exactly what they are – habits that need to be broken. We're all somewhere in this domestic adventure. Some us aren't climbing adult mountain yet and are sitting in base camp enjoying our college age style of living. That's okay too, just know that there are some foothills like these to beat and for some of us, they're a gnarled path of bad habits. Maybe adult mountain is easier than the foothills. To each their own. Good luck and Godspeed.


Pictures in today's article provided by pixabay and PEXELS

Garden Walk

Posted from 09/01

Let's take a little trip around the garden today, shall we?

I'm proud to say I managed for the very first time to grow gladiolus. I tried growing them last year but they never bloomed.
The name of this variety I believe is “Mi Amour”. I'll be trying to save the bulbs this year. We won't find out until next summer if it worked! I did my first cutting of them and gave them to my mother as a thank you for all of her continued help.

 

We also had some beauties that have been developing in the garden. Most of the garden is now left for the winter but there are a few plants still producing. My Roma tomato I let go for the year. There were a few casualties but nothing to cry over. I plan on planting more roma plants next year to up the amount of tomato sauce I can process. I may or may not be shooting for canning next year.

We had a huge problem with deer nipping off the blooms of the burgundy beans last year so the crop was small. We hadn't anticipated that they would bloom on 3 separate occasions unhindered by hungry deer. We caught the first 2 harvests of them but were oblivious to the 3^rd and only discovered them now that they're too far gone for eating. I was thinking of leaving them on the plant and harvesting the dried beans to save for next year. We'll see how much gumption I have for that.

I managed to grow a few carrots this year, but to be frank, I didn't much care. My first year with my garden boxes, I grew so many carrots I was giving away bundles. I even managed a homemade carrot soup! I used more of the space this year for my beans and my sugar snap peas. I still enjoy a few carrots though and snagged a few out a little early. I like to plant a kaleidoscope heirloom variety. Tony thinks they're more flavorful than what we buy at the grocery store and I can't really disagree. I think we're biased though because everything tastes better when you grow it yourself.

We have some up and coming zucchinis that I plan to hand over to my mother. This year, she'll be teaching me how to make zucchini into those sinfully delicious cakes I love so much. Our zucchinis are one of the plants we did not start from seed this year. I love starting from seed but I decided this year would be a year for doing a lot of soil conditioning and I work slowly - far too slowly for seeds to be planted on time. We planted zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant from a started plant. It felt dirty at first, like I was betraying myself but the production and size really can't be denied. I still prefer seeds, but I will never knock anyone again for starting their garden with plants.

The thing that Tony and I have been so excited about though? Our peppers. I myself loathe peppers. I can't handle the heat, even of a green bell pepper. Tony LOVES anything with spice and heat so those are for him to eat. He's started fantasizing about what he'll make with them in his wok. He likes to adventure in the kitchen himself from time to time and I'm all for it. My excitement comes from the color. If you hadn't figured that out yet, my garden is COLOR COLOR COLOR. 

Orange Blaze

Merlot

I love how much we got from our garden this year. The thing is, we didn't really try either. Tony and I put in the effort of weeding them clear and then tilling in better soil. After planting we mostly just let them go. I only really had one good day of weeding and that was the day I dug out my purple potatoes. It feels so wonderful to go out with my canvas bag and go shopping in my own garden. I get to see what's “on special”. I'm not receiving any payment for this, but this is my favorite tote to bring out in the garden.

I bought this tote from Earthbound Trading Co. located in the Bay Park Square Mall in Green Bay Wisconsin. I don't believe this particular print is available anymore but they have an amazing and unique selection of reusable totes,purses, and bags including this mushroom print reusable tote for $6.95 that anyone can feel free to pick up for me!

 

I can't express how excited I am this time of year. So many of my favorite flowers are coming into bloom and vegetables are just about ripe. My sunflowers are getting lots of attention from our insect population including those wonderful bees we want to keep around.

The apples are starting to redden (even if the ones in our tree aren't really edible) and the staghorn sumac is ready for making tea. The air smells fresher, feels cooler, and makes me feel better. I'm so over the oppressive sticky heat of summer. I'm watching the leaves start to hint at fall and I couldn't be happier about it. 

 

So there's our super amateur little garden. To find out more about how actual farming gets done on a large scale, slide over to the blog Caffeine and Diesel for an insight on large scale commercial planting and harvesting and some really great pictures from our own beautiful country.

Home grown love, friends,
Amanda