A house is not necessarily a home

Yes, the blog is still somewhat broken.  I haven’t put much thought into how to make it pretty.  I’ve been too busy playing Super Mario Brothers Wii with Matt to even think about it. 

A discussion with Danielle on the way to our knitting group brought up some interesting thoughts about my house.  While Matt and I have lived here for 5 and a half years, it’s really hard for me to think of it as a home.  The recent work to the kitchen and living room has helped tremendously, yet it still feels cold and boring.  Sure, I refer to the house as Grand Central Station, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be a warm and inviting place.

I’m slowly coming up with ideas and projects to add character and warmth (expect to see that word a lot) to the house.  Something I find to be sorely lacking is texture.  Things like shaggy carpets, linen curtains, and glass vases.  Variety and character.  Handmade things that may not be perfect, but they’re mine and I love them. 

So, the first step for all of this is to start crafting!  I have plans to knit and sew, embroider and paint, plant and tile.  But, in keeping with this years theme (simplicity), everything I add to the house must be balanced by the removal of at least 2 similar items.  You can have character without having clutter. 

It’s about time to make this house a home.

 

Big changes!

So, the next few weeks here at the house are going to be pretty crazy.  If you don’t hear from me or Matt, it’s because we’ve a) killed each other, b) killed ourselves, c) got trapped under debris,  or d) are too exhausted to move.  Here’s what’s going on:

1. Everyone’s getting married or having kids

So, apparently everyone in Matt’s extended families have decided that they want to get married or have babies.  That’s great, but that means that I have to go to a buttload of baby/wedding showers, not to mention the actual weddings.  That means a LOT of driving to the Jeff City area.  I love Matt’s families, but it’s just coming at a bad time.

2. Wedding season is kicking back up.

For some reason, Lisa never really books weddings in the summer.  And that’s fine with me, because it sucks trying to look all professional-like when your makeup has sweated off and your hair is plastered to your face.  We do, however, have several weddings coming up, starting in August.  I have recovered from the wedding burn out, and am actually ready to start back up again.

3. I’m getting more serious about my own photography.

I’ve been slacking WAY too long due to laziness and lack of confidence.  I can’t do that anymore.  I’m being proactive, and am taking steps to get more business.  I’m currently working on a professional blog, I’ve started an Etsy store to sell fine art photography (no items for sale yet, but I’ll post when there is), I created a professional Twitter account, and I’m working on a paper portfolio as well.  I’ve got a few paid gigs coming up soon, and a few collaborations that are REALLY exciting. 

4. I’m going to try to sell my soap at the Rock n Roll craft show in November.

I found out more info about the event, and Jessi and I decided to give selling our soap a try.  This is still in the very early stages of discussion, so this may not pan out, but I am really excited at the prospect.  The only problem is that if we’re going to sell our soap in November, we need to start making it, like, now.  It takes time to cure, but making over 100 lbs. of soap is going to be a problem seeing as we will be kitchenless for about 6 weeks.

And finally,

5. The kitchen project is officially starting.

We’ve talked about this damn project for just about forever, and you all must be sick of hearing about it, but it’s really exciting for us (at least me).  I was supposed to do a house-wide purge this weekend, but that really didn’t work out.  And that’s ok, because it can be done during the week (without Matt, since most of the crap that’s going away is mine).  The cabinet maker is taking final measurements on Tuesday, and while we don’t have a definite install date yet (it could be as early as August 6), we have a LOT to do in the meantime.

So, I’ll see everyone in September, unless you want to come help us paint! 😉

New look!

As you can see, the blog looks a little different.  And it’s about freaking time!  I finally found a template that I liked.  I really didn’t feel like making something on my own.  What can I say- I’m lazy.

I’m still not eating meat.  Matt actually brought up a good point the other day- when exactly am I going to start back up?  Will it be 4 weeks, or will it be 30 days?  I did say a month, so I guess that means 30 days.  So, next Wednesday will be my first day eating meat again.  I guarantee bacon will be involved somehow.

Speaking of bacon, tomorrow I will be ordering the final ingredients needed for the bacon soap.  I still need to figure out what recipe I will be using to make the soap, but apparently demand has grown.  I will also be picking up Mt. Dew scent and possibly beer scent.  I’ve got several projects lined up, but I really need to decide what scents I want to make for Christmas presents.  I need to make those as soon as possible, so they have plenty of time to cure.

Other than that, life is boring.  Oh, I’m working on the Halloween party, but that’s about it. 

My first (cooking) experience with tofu

So, I finally took the plunge and cooked up some tofu that had I had cooked in vegetarian chicken broth a few days ago.  Got out excess moisture, breaded, and pan-fried it.  It looked kinda good as I was cooking, so the fear wasn’t as bad.

Opinion:  It didn’t suck.  Although the tofu had been marinading for a while, it was still rather bland.  There was a slight chicken flavor to it, and although the texture was off, I didn’t mind. The breading was it’s saving grace.  I think I am going to try this again, but try the “chicken” bouillon instead of the broth- that way I can make the chicken flavor more intense. 

The best part- I even got Matt to try it!  I don’t think he’ll be wanting to put it on our weekly dinner menu in the future, but it was nice to see him be supportive and try new things.  At least he didn’t give me the “I’m going to act like a 5 year old and spit it out” look.