Parting is such sweet sorrow-- or-- I have to say goodbye to the summer

So, I have to run into work tomorrow to do an orientation. It'll only take about an hour, but this is always the signal that my vacation is almost over *cry*

I do have Friday to look forward to, though: Frances and I are going junking :) Oh, and Saturday I'm attending a life coaching seminar, which I feel a little silly about admitting, but I think it'll be really interesting, so there! I mean, how often do you have time to sit down and really think about what you want out of life? And not only that, but a facilitator is there to ask pointed questions and help you move around familiar roadblocks... Oh, and of course its all about me, me, me so what's not to like ;) I'll let you know how it goes.

With the end of my vacation in sight, its time to review the project list I made back in July and see what's been "done and what we have left undone", as we say in the Episcopal Church. Those items in italics (and bold, to make the list of what I accomplished look larger, ha ha ha!) are the ones I finished:

• scrape the bathroom ceiling (it has that stomp stuff on it that mildews and that you CANNOT clean, no matter how hard you try or what you use), and then paint it with anti-mildew paint
• patch and paint the bathroom walls
• refinish the armoire in the dining room to match the dining room table
• paint the kitchen ceiling
• paint the bathroom and computer room doors
• paint the moulding around the front door that was *supposed* to have been done before last year's Halloween party
• buy more plants for the raised beds
• make a cover for the chandelier's cord

Ok, so I didn't get the armoire refinished. I confess that the thought of unloading it (its full of china, linens, etc) and hauling it out to the deck was a little overwhelming after it took me a week of somewhat exhaustive labour to finish the bathroom project (items 1 & 2).

I didn't paint the kitchen ceiling. Again, after a week of being on a ladder-- scraping, sanding, and painting-- I was not so eager to do it again in the kitchen.

I have an even better excuse for not getting the doors painted! Before I went up to visit my parents for a week, Chris said that HE would paint the doors (pass the blame, Kimberley!) because he doesn't want me doing anything that might damage his precious Baldwin doorknobs.

Well, Chris got busy with other things and didn't get to the doors (I tell you, the man loves those doorknobs-- he's completely paranoid about their safety and I think that was the REAL reason they didn't get painted!)

I do think that I can get the trim around the front door painted on Friday morning, though, so then I can feel smug about getting over half of the projects on the list done, huzzah!

Additionally, I did get the fence painted and plants bought for the holders I painted to go on it. They're not hung yet, but my excuse for that is that the heat index has been over 100 degrees this week. Its been truly miserable out there-- like running into a wall every time you open the door and step into the humidity.

So I guess that I'm pleased with my progress overall. Its also been soooo nice to sleep late (my usual time to rise and shine-- well, more like stumble and glower-- is 5:30am), sit around and read with a pot of tea for an embarrassing amount of time, and not have to leave Tallulah House unless I wanted to... or until we ran out of food :)

Farewell, summer vacation. I miss you already.
Kimberley

A dinner party of Lilliputian proportions

Chris and I had our friends Stacy and Andrew (they're newlyweds!) over for dinner on Friday night, and it was so much fun :) S & A would probably agree, except for the part when I forced them both into the bathroom and demanded that they admire the ceiling :)

"Isn't it beautiful?? Doesn't it look amazing? Don't you LOVE IT??," I bellowed, gesturing wildly towards the plain white ceiling and walls. Being polite folks, they agreed... though, now that I think about it, they looked a little scared. ;)

I also had fun getting ready for dinner. I straightened up around the house that morning (although if I hadn't spent much of that time on the phone, with first my mom and then Frances, I would have gotten done faster-- wouldn't have had nearly as much fun, though ;) ) and then headed out to the stores. Trader Joe's was my first stop where I found, in addition to the other things on my list, a fantastic bunch of sunflowers for $3.99! Go, Joe! Though these aren't the actual sunflowers I bought, they are remarkable similar in size and quantity:

(photo from Thomas Hawk's site)

I arranged them in a tall, cobalt blue vase and put them on the corner table in the dining room-- gorgeous!

After finishing up at TJ's, I headed over to Whole Foods to get a rotisserie chicken, which I would later pop in the oven to re-heat. Everyone said that it was good, so I believe them. I always feel weird about serving something that I haven't tried, but what's a vegetarian to do? Take people's word for it, I guess ;)

Here's the menu:

Freshly baked bread (still warm from the oven) and butter
Herbed mixed greens salad, with a flax seed oil dressing

Barbequed rotisserie chicken
Mushrooms and brown basmati rice

Chocolate pound cake (baked that morning)


Here are the recipes for the bread and the rice dish. I'll post the recipe for the chocolate pound cake later, when I have more time.

I got this bread recipe from my mom, and its an old standby: easy to make and delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 cupt sugar
• 3/4 cup warm milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 5 cups flour
• 2 eggs

Directions

• Pour the warm water into the bowl of your mixer (don't forget to use the bread hook attachment, if you are in fact using the mixer), and sprinkle the yeast and one tablespoon of the sugar over it. Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining sugar, the milk, the salt, and the butter
• Mix together
• Add in 2 1/2 cups flour, and beat until smooth.
• Add eggs, one at a time.
• Add two cups of flour, a little at a time, until the dough is smooth.
• Turn dough out onto a floured board (1/2 to 1 cup) or countertop and kneed until satiny
• Grease a large-ish bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and a dish cloth and set in a warm place for one hour (I put mine outside in the sun on the deck with great results. A barely warm oven, with the door open, also works well).
• Turn the risen dough out onto the board again, and punch down. Kneed into a ball. Cover it and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Shape the dough into two loaves.
• Grease two loaf pans, and add dough. Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• Heat your oven to 400 degrees and bake for 12- 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and turn out loaves onto a clean cloth.
• Let bread cool a bit before cutting, or it will crumble.
• Enjoy with butter, mmmmmm!

The rice dish was one of those happy accidents-- you know what I'm talking about! I'd originally thought that I'd just saute the mushrooms and serve them separately from the rice. But then, as I thought about it, I decided to try it this way. Am I glad that I did, as it was quite tasty.

Mushrooms and Rice

Ingredients

• Brown basmati rise, cooked according to directions (I went the 1 cup water, 2 cups rice route and it made enough for 4 people, with a bit left over)
• 2 packages of mixed wild mushrooms
• Shaved parmiggiano reggianno cheese

Directions

• Cook rice, and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, saute the mushrooms in olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar. Cook until done.
• Add the rice to the mushrooms, and stir. Add more oil if needed.
• Add the cheese and stir until everything's well mixed.
• Add a bit of sea salt and/or pepper, if you like.
• Enjoy!

Ok, I'm off to do a few things around the house. I'm proud of myself, though, as I actually made the bed and did some laundry before I sat down at my computer this morning. Its all about iron control, you see ;)

Thanks for stopping by,
Kimberley

I call her Kimberlisa!

I saw it first on Grace's blog, Rose Cottage Lane, and knew that I had to make my own :)

Its me, if I were in Springfield with the Simpsons, in all of my black-clothed (with a vegetarian spin), ghostly-pale, messy pony-tailed, "whatever" expressioned glory!



Happy Saturday,
Kimberley

That's MRS. Slacker to you, buddy!

9:16pm. All is pitch dark in the python-stalked environs surrounding Tallulah House (well, as dark as it can get with streetlights and porchlights-- we are a safety-conscious community after all!). However, within Tallulah House all is well as the scents of vanilla candles and Chris's chocolate ice cream, duly drowned in chocolate sauce weave seamlessly, and the punkish joy of Joey Ramone's "What a Wonderful World echoes through the Geek Room. The Ramones for our sweet, little old lady, Tallulah? Sure, why the heck not! lol

Seriously, this is my favourite version of this song. If you haven't heard it, try and give it a listen. I'm taking a little break from the Pink Martini album "Hang on Little Tomato", more for Chris's sake than mine. He is just as baffled by the way I can listen to the same music over and over, as I am by the way he can watch "Band of Brothers" over and over. Ahh, the things you discover about people AFTER you marry them, muwahahaha! *smooch, sweetie, love ya*


So. I know the question that is burning in your mind-- no, don't try to deny it! You want to know whether or not I managed to get the rugs steamed and/or the fence painted. Well, the answer, dear reader, is "no" to both! Oh, the shame! I burn from it *sob*

The only thing offsetting my shame is the amount of other projects that I did manage to do, including dismantling the settlements of several Clutter Monsters. Surely you've met the Clutter Monsters? They move in while you aren't looking and build vast cities of stuff that you vaguely recall buying or getting in the mail. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Well, I've had several of these, just driving me nuts! Today I said, pointing my finger dramatically, is the day! I pounced, sorted, cleaned, threw away, and loaded a bag for the Salvation Army. Once the dust settled and I looked around I saw lots of empty space (oh, and lots of dust, too). I was very glad to get that project off the list. Now the good luck and chi may flow freely without tripping over the architectural folly of the Clutter Monsters :)

I also made potato salad today. I'm from the South, and potato salad is a BIG DEAL here. There can be a lot of controversy about it (my mother has yet to forgive me for not including eggs and green bell pepper), so I'm really putting myself on the line by sharing my recipe. But hey! That's me, dashing adventurer with a hint of Albert Schweitzer thrown in *shrugs modestly*

So, Kimberley's potato salad recipe:

Ingredients

• Several potatoes suitable for baking (choose the amount by how much you'd like to make)
• Mayonnaise
• Sour cream
• Herbes de Provence, dried
• Pepper, freshly ground
• Hungarian paprika
• salt

Directions

• Fill a large cooking pot with water and set to boiling
• Wash and chop the potatoes into medium sized cubes (I always leave the skins on, for the vitamins and texture-- much more rustic and hearty, I think).
• Peel and chop one large onion. Set aside.
• Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook until done, but not mushy
• While the potatoes are cooking, choose a bowl for the potato salad. Go ahead and put in a big spoonful of both mayonnaise and sour cream. Add the herbes de Provence, pepper, paprika, salt and onions.
• Drain the potatoes through a collander (Make sure that there's a pot underneath catching all that tasty potato water-- there's your base for a lovely potato soup). Rise with cool water to stop them cooking.
• Add potatoes to the mixture in the bowl, and stir well, making sure to coat the potatoes with everything.
• Enjoy!

In between all of that, I played with the canine denizens of Tallulah House, gave some vague thought to the work to which I'll be returning all too soon, AND most importantly, finished up one of my "Pay It Forward" gifts, huzzah! Now, now, I won't be telling whose it is, but I *do* plan to get it in the mail tomorrow!

So, yeah, basically it was another day of slacking-- whaddya gonna do about it ;)

Hope you've got something fun planned for tomorrow,
Kimberley

Do-nothing Days

Its 4:16 on Tuesday and I've been completely lazy yesterday and today :) I did get out yesterday and buy the much-anticipated blue paint and had a funny conversation with the Absent-Minded Hippy who works in Paint (very funny, but probably a lot to explain). I also bought groceries-- badly-needed groceries.

Note: Its a very curious phenomenon: I am the only person in our house who is imbued with the necessary mystical powers to enter a grocery store and buy food! The gods truly smiled on me when they bestowed such a rare gift ;)

Don't get me started on how nauseating I found buying pulled pork for Chris. Oh, wait, I'm already started! Much to his delight, Whole Foods installed a BBQ bar a few months ago. I try to get him a different thing each time I go, but boy howdy, does it gross me out. Everything's hot on the bar, and the smell is overpowering. Only for my sweetie would I endure such horror! (lifts hand melodramatically to brow ala Sarah Bernhardt). If none of that diatribe makes sense, maybe knowing that I'm a vegetarian helps.

But except for cooking dinner last night, that was about it. Oh, I also dropped my car off to have the tires rotated. I had fully intended to paint the fence, but the wood was still soaked. I won't complain, though, as badly as we need the rain. I can hear my buddies over in the UK groaning at the thought of RAIN! Sorry, guys, but we really do need it here in Georgia.

Today, except for installing our new Aquasana filter system , making the bed, washing some newly aquired glass insulators (thanks, Mom and Dad!), doing some laundry, and making a delicious cabbage-thingy (recipe below), I've done absolutely nothing. After all of my recent activity, it seems a little weird. I had fully intended to get the carpets out of the attic and steam-clean them, as well as paint, but somehow the whole day's gotten away from me. Ah, well, maybe tomorrow... or, if the time-warping daemon continues to plague me, maybe not even then!

Here's the recipe for the cabbage dish. Its one I modified from something I got at one of my favourite restaurants:

Ingredients

• 1 small green cabbage
• 1 small red cabbage
• 1/2 small bag of baby carrots
• a good handful of snowpeas, or sugarsnaps
• rice wine vinegar
• flax seed oil
• sea salt

Directions

• Chop the cabbages into medium-sized pieces (if you only want a little, use half of each cabbage. I say go ahead and use all of them, 'cause this will go fast and you'll just find yourself back in the kitchen chopping again!)
• Chop the snowpeas/sugarsnaps-- not too small!
• Shred the carrots
• Combine the above ingredients in a good-sized bowl (you'll need room to mix everything together, so make sure the bowl isn't too small)
• Pour rice wine vinegar over them (how much depends on how much you like rice wine vinegar. I advise starting out with a little and adding more, if you like)
• Add a little bit of flax seed oil. You can of course use olive oil, but flax seed oil is better for ya!
• Add a bit of sea salt
• Stir everything and mix well

This salad can be eaten immediately or chilled and served cold. Its good both ways.

An absolutely fabulous cd to listen to while you're making this dish, or doing anything really, is "Hang on Little Tomato" by Pink Martini, a delightfully retro chic band with lots of talent. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you've had a great day!
Kimberley

I reveal my inner 15-year old

Yes, yes, she's always lurking close to the surface, I'm afraid :) In this instance, she's over the moon-- no pun intended-- about the fact that Eclipse is only 8 days away from being in the bookstores! Eclipse is book three in the ongoing series by Stephenie Meyer, authoress extraordinaire, about Bella and Edward, mortal and vampire.

Stop. I know what you're thinking (oh, and cut out the eye-rolling while you're at it!).

These books are so much fun! Dark, yes, and a teensy bit melodramatic, but such a good read. I've always liked vampire books, but never cared for Anne Rice or that woman who writes the Anita Blake series. Well, ok, I did like the Anita Blake books at first, but eventually they devolved into endless rounds of meaningless sex and bloodbaths-- ick. The Twilight Series (named for the first book) is different, and oh, so enjoyable. You can read more about Twilight and see an interview with Stephenie Meyer about Eclipse here.

My inner 15-year old is now through speaking :)

In other news, I came back home today after a fun few days with my parents. I was very glad to see Chris and the menagerie, as you might well imagine. To celebrate the rain (and, ok, because there was very little food in the house!), I made a pot of my friend Cindy's lentil soup. Here's the recipe, modified a bit to suit my mood and the lack of certain ingredients:

Ingredients

• 2 small or 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cups lentils (I used 1 cup yellow, and 1 cup orange, but whatever)
• 2 palm-sized potatoes, cooked
• 1 large carrot, or half a bag baby carrots, grated
• several fresh basil leaves-- if you don't like basil, leave it out; if you love it, use a lot ;)
• 4 medium, fresh tomatoes (I substituted these for 2 cups of tomato juice)
• salt to taste

Directions

• Fill a good-sized cooking pot 3/4 of the way full, and add the lentils. Cook for about an hour and 15 minutes, or until they're done
• Chop your potatoes into cubes, and set them to boiling. Reduce heat to low/medium and cook until done, but not mushy
• Grate the carrots and set aside
• Chop the tomatoes and set aside
• Chop and saute the onions in olive oil until they're translucent, and set aside
• When the lentils are done, add the tomatoes and carrots and let them cook for a bit
• Add the potatoes, onions, and basil and bring the soup to boiling. Let it boil for about 3 minutes, and reduce heat to low.
• Dish up the soup, and add grated cheese (I used shaved parmesan)
• Enjoy!

I also hung the cord cover on the dining room chandelier and it looks fabulous, if I do say so myself ;) Chris really likes it, too, and confessed that he's never liked that naked cord, lol. At first I thought that I had overestimated and only needed one of the covers, but it turns out that there was plenty of room for both and that having two instead of one made it extra ruffledy. Huzzah, so nice when a plan comes together! I'm also feeling quite smug that it looks nicer (in my humble opinion) than the ones I found selling on the Internet for $39.99.

Tomorrow I'm off to Home Depot for "Provence blue" paint for the fence project. I had an idea for the gate opposite it, and it involves using different shades of yellow that I already have so at least I'm saving some money there. Hopefully I'll get the fence done, and the newly painted plant holders hung there.

My time at home is rapidly running out :( Soon I'll be back at work, and while I really enjoy it, having time to let my domestic diva rule is soooo much fun!

What's your domestic diva up to?
Kimberley

A successful day of junking

Yep, I said "junking". Its my mom's term for what other people call "antiquing", but she says that's WAY too fancy for what we do ;) After spending the morning playing with our dogs (her Pug and my Pekingese), we headed out to make the rounds of what our UK friends call the charity shops. And, boy howdy, did I have good luck today!

• I found several pieces of iron, including a star like the ones that are on the ends of some old buildings. These stars supported iron rods that ran through the buildings for structural support. I've always wanted one, but the prices are always outrageously expensive, so I've never bought one. I got this one today, though, for $1.00!
• I got two smallish cog-looking things that I think would make nice, rustic flower frogs for outside (each also $1.00), and a large round piece with a ray design around the edge ($2.00).
• I found a couple of nice pieces in the plates section: a lovely little china sugar bowl, white, in perfect condition ($1.00), and a white, ceramic, lotus shaped container that I want for a tealight holder ($1.00).
• I also found some brand-new napkins (two sets of eight, each for $2.00)
• My mom found THE PERFECT tablecloth for my outdoor table-- pink and ruffledy, which is perfect for the "Farewell to Summer" party I'm planning-- for only .50. Yes, applaud her awesome bargain hunting skills!
• I also found a large sheer curtain out of which I plan to take the seams in order to create a tent for the aforementioned party ($3.00).

As usual, I'd love to share pictures, but, also as usual, the camera/no drivers/blah, blah, blah. One of these days, though, you'll be deluged with piccies ;)

Sweet dreams!