Simple pleasure # 20 - sleeping in

Turning the alarm on the clock to "OFF" before going to bed on Friday night.

Excuse me waiter, there’s a wasp in my coffee

Well this was an unusual sight to come home to.

Yesterday afternoon I was about to make my way to the back of my house through the narrow pathway that separates mine from my neighbours' house, when I spotted a mug perched on the floor at the side of my front porch. The mug isn’t one of mine so intrigue lured me to take a closer look.

What I saw was a wasp doing the backstroke in a few ounces of what looked like coffee. Huh.

I assumed the mug belonged to my neighbour and would come for it later, so I left it and carried along my way.

Could this be a new trend in homemade wasp traps? Leave a mug of coffee on the porch and wait for the wasps to fly in and drown? It seemed to work. The pesky insects are everywhere this time of year and people can get pretty creative with ways to keep them away. I have a friend who used to hang large balls of paper in the tree above her outdoor dining table. The idea was for the wasps to see another "nest" and stay away. Unfortunately I'm not sure it worked so well, but it did make for interesting tree ornaments. 

My technique is to give the wasps a swat with a tightly rolled magazine. Making contact usually gets them to fly away.

Store bought traps are another option. During a recent trip to Canadian Tire I was browsing the pest control aisle when a gentleman came by and grabbed a Wasp Trap with Hanger from the shelf. "It works best if you put cheap beer in it," he said to me.

"What kind of cheap beer?" I asked. I wasn't looking for a wasp trap, and I don't drink beer, but I was curious about what was considered cheap and works. You know, for future reference. I think his response was "Coors" but by now I honestly can't remember. I do know, however,  that Coors is less on the dollar scale, then say, Creemore Springs.

The gentleman went on to suggest a trap for my own pest issue. But that's another story...

So there you have it. Be it coffee in a mug, hanging papers balls, magazine rolls or store bought traps on a hanger,  there are plenty of techniques to try out to get rid of wasps.

Never-ending laundry

There are three baskets of clean laundry on the floor of my bedroom. Sometimes there are two baskets, sometimes one.

We used to be on top of the chore of folding and putting stuff away, but we've been slipping. Now some stuff gets pulled from the basket onto the bed. Some folding happens, but mostly not, then hours later gets put back in the basket and onto the floor.

The priority these days is for the clothing to be clean. What happens to it afterwards and where it ends up isn't much of a concern anymore.

We'll get back on track again, one day.

Time to mist the mushrooms

I'm feeling a bit like the Dunkin Donuts guy these days. Every morning at the crack of dawn I'm up - not to bake, but to mist the mushrooms.

I received a mushroom making kit from my Secret Santa last Christmas and finally got into it recently. I was really excited because I've never tried to grow mushrooms before, and this kit promised a no muss no fuss project that would produce results, "In as little as 10 days!" Well, it has been 18 days so far, and so far no mushrooms.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but my suspicion is that I kept the kit in the dark for too long. The instructions indicated to keep it out of direct sunlight during the initial 12 hour soaking period, so I put it in the basement bathroom and left it there. There is a window in the bathroom but the light really is minimal. Maybe the mushroom fungus fell asleep? Or maybe it got too hot? The bathroom is right next to the furnace and it can get pretty cozy down there.

I moved the kit to the kitchen windowsill the other day so we'll see if that makes a difference. I'll give it another two weeks to see if anything happens before considering this project a fail.

Renos 2013

While I was tidying the girls room this morning I pulled Lauren's bed away from the wall to tuck in a bed sheet and noticed water condensation on the floor. I ran my hand along the wall and felt that it was cold.

Zut alors!

The cold wall is a known issue, as is the cold floor. The room is at the front of the house and level to the roof overhang that's above the front porch. Because there's no insulation in that part of the roof, there's no barrier from the cold. We knew we'd have to get to fixing this sooner or later, but hoping for the later. Now that I see water in the bedroom, I think we need to bump this project up on the priority list.

2012 was a no reno year. Claire kept us busy enough, and after spending a good chunk of money and living through dust and noise and paint fumes while upgrading the living and dining room in 2011, we needed the break.

C wasted no time and sent out a message to G, our favourite contractor to chat about availability and cost. A few hours later we were sitting around the table chatting about the what, when and how much.

In addition to the bedroom project, we talked about the backyard. The space has been pretty much unused for the last 5 years, and it's time to take it back. It's postage stamp size as far as backyards go, but it's ours. And how wonderful would it be to eat breakfast out there on a nice weekend morning,  and dinner on a warm night.

G mentioned that he would sooner get a space heater for the cold wall and spend the money on the backyard first. This is exactly the kind of advice I wanted to hear from someone who knows better about what projects to do first.

So, all being well with finances, we'll tackle the backyard just as soon as the ground thaws and the temperature begins to rise. Once we're into the summer months we'll look into getting the room done and hopefully finished by the fall.

Phew. 2013, here we come!

Feng Shui

I was sitting on my comfortable couch in the living room watching The Marilyn Denis Show today and learned that having a couch up against a window is bad feng shui. Something about energy being sucked out of the person sitting on said couch and floating away.

Zut alors!

Because guess where my couch is? Yes, in front of the living room window.

Unfortunately there really is no other place to put it. Options are limited in a 10'x10' area, and the only other wall that's big enough to accommodate the couch has the TV mounted to it. That would make for really awkward TV watching and a kink in the neck.

I wonder if I can counter the effect of my family and friends' energy flying away by adding other positive feng shui elements to the room, like plants, or bowl of fruit, or something.

Need to do some research on that...

Oh Christmas tree

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, your branches green delight us.  

But I'm sure you're glad that we finally packed it in on Friday and called it a season. Time to make your way over to your next duty as compost and mulch.

I was feeling all jolly jolly at the beginning of December and put the tree up a week earlier than  usual - that being two weeks before Christmas. We always get a real tree so the tradition has been to wait until just a week before so it doesn't get so dried out and droopy by the time New Year rolls around. Anyway, the holiday spirit hit me hard this year so up it went. 

It crossed my mind only briefly that Claire would be all over it, but then pushed the thought aside because I remembered that Lauren really didn't bother with the tree much when she was 10 months. Turns out I made a bad assumption. For a full three weeks I was pulling Claire away from the tree non stop and hanging the ornaments higher and higher out of reach. One day Claire managed to get a good grip on a branch and just about tipped the tree over until I caught it mid fall. Yikes!

The city tree pick-up was Saturday so I was all too ready to get it outside by the curb. On the up side, it's kind of nice and refreshing to feel like you're done with the holidays and ready to move on with the new year. Not having to sweep up pine needles every hour is nice too!

Rub a dub dub

My bathtub is littered with little plastic ocean animals. And it makes me smile.

There's a shark and killer whale and sea turtle, beluga whale, dolphin and an otter.  Oh, and a deep sea diver too. And three little rubber piggies for added fun.

I tiptoed around them during my shower last night rather than put them away.  I want them to be ready for their next bath time ocean adventure.

Wonder woman

Sometimes I astound myself.

On Friday I moved the sofa bed from our home office on the second floor of our house all the way to the basement. All by my freaking self! Mind over matter. And I did it without straining a muscle or scratching a wall.

Moving the sofa to the basement is one of the last pieces of my master plan to turn the basement into a comfortable and functional play area and guest room. This project has been on my to-do list for 3 years, and for the last several months I've been getting it done slowly and surely.

I figured that we bought a whole house, so what a waste to use two thirds of it while the basement is left forgotten except for storing junk that we never use.  So item by item, I've been getting rid of stuff we don't need. The old VCR and DVD players and miscellaneous electronics were sent to recycling heaven, the giant cathode ray tube TV was put out in the front yard and taken away by who knows who, and the ancient gas stove was picked up by two guys who answered an ad on kijiji. "FREE! If you can get it out of our basement, it's yours."

And after vacuuming the spider webs and adding art to the walls, it's finally looking like a nice place to play and rest.

The final step will be to replace the old vinyl floor with new, but that project can wait. For right now the basement is finally open for action.

Nonstop

I am constantly on the move in this house.

Picking up clothes, sucking up dust bunnies, washing dishes, filling the dishwasher, emptying the dishwasher, putting away dishes, washing laundry, folding laundry, putting away laundry, tidying toys, tidying books, wiping counters, moping floors, filing papers.

Then doing all over again the next day. Then doing it all over again the next day. Then doing it all over again the next day.  Then doing it all over again the next day. Then doing it all over again the next day. Then doing it all over again the next day. Then doing it all over again the next day.

No wonder people hire maids.

Pumpkin cranberry spice bundt

I've only made this recipe 3 times in the last 3 years (2 of those times in the last week), but I need to make it more often because it's so good!

I think I haven't been making it often because it's a pumpkin cake, and how often does anyone think of pumpkin except for this time of year?

Anyway, for the third time running it turned out delicious and was a success at the annual family thanksgiving gathering.

The photo doesn't do it justice.  I blame a lousy camera and poor lighting.

Planting bulbs

M came for a visit last weekend and helped me get the front garden in shape for the winter.

By "in shape" I mean weed pulling and bulb planting. The plan is for the bulbs to sleep sweetly this winter and come up looking fabulous in the spring. The garden was pretty much neglected this year due to high temperatures outdoors and child rearing (indoors and outdoors), so I'm getting a head start on making it look pretty for next year. We'll see how that goes.

We didn't get around to planting all the bulbs, so I hope to get he rest in tonight or tomorrow. M gave me some wild lily seeds that I'll sprinkle around as well. And when spring comes around again I'll visit the garden centres and pick a few more plants and flowers to complete the project.

I'm thinking bleeding heart for the back of the garden patch and a variety of plants that will last the season.

You wouldn't think that a 10x10 plot of dirt would take so much time and planning to look nice,  I know better now.

The heat is on

C turned the furnace on yesterday afternoon for the first time this season.

I usually protest, especially if it happens before October, as I seem to have a higher tolerance for the chill than he does, but yesterday I couldn't disagreed. Even with a sweater and slippers on and after a few cups of hot tea my toes and hands were cold.

The chill caught us off guard considering the balmy weather we've had up until recently, but the cool nights and mornings are a reminder that winter is on the way.

Key lime pie

For some reason that I cannot explain, I have been wanting to make key lime pie for a very long time. Long as in years.

I mentioned this desire to C ealier in the summer to which he replied, "Have you even had key lime pie?" "No",  I said. "You should probably try some before you try making it". "Hmm, good point" I said.

And as if the baking fairies were listening, just a few days after that while at lunch at my sister's house, she pulled out a frozen President's Choice key lime pie for dessert! And it was good!

That was months ago, and it has taken until today for me to get around to baking it. I stumbled on a recipe recently and took it as a final nudge to get cracking.

I just pulled it out of the oven and am waiting for it to cool before putting it into the fridge for the required 3 hour cool down. So far it looks and smells ok, just have to wait another 3 hours to know if it tastes ok.

3 hours later....

Mmmm....good!! It's not the most pretty thing I've baked, but it's tasty! A touch on the tart side, but served with whip cream (as recommended in the recipe) and it would be prefect. I'll definitely try this again.

Dish duty

Emptying the dishwasher is not my favourite chore, especially when I have a heavy baby strapped to me.

But, I will not forget the time in the not too distant past when we had no dishwasher, or a proper functioning kitchen for that matter. For that reason I will never complain about emptying the dishwasher - baby strapped to me or not.

Clothes pegs

This is silly, but it seems I bought some inferior clothes pegs.

I bought them last year and noticed then that they would fall apart easily, but I didn't have time to get a new bunch.

I don't ever spend time thinking about clothes pegs until this weekend when I was catching up on  several loads of laundy and putting the wet clothes out on the line. I think about half of the 50 that were in the the package have come apart, so I don't have enough pegs to put up a full load.

Zut alors.

Actually, I did at one point think about pegs because I remember I specifically bought the wood variety thinking they were more durable than plastic. I grew up without a dryer in the house so I've hung up my fair share of clothing on a line and the wood never failed. Maybe I bought a bum batch? Who knows.

Anyway, I'll go with plastic when I go out for a new pack and I'll see how long those last.

Water

My mother has turned me on to flavoured water.

She gave me some sprigs of lavender and mint from her garden to put into a jug with water. It's so refreshing and smells lovely whenever I take a sip. Before the lavender I tried pear slices and ginger and next I'll try mint and lemon.

This has inspired me to grow some edibles in my own garden. I kind of left the garden to go to seed this year because I simply don't have the time. Or rather I can't put the baby down for any significant amount of time to pull the weeds. Next spring should be easier so it will be a project to look forward to.

Lavender is one of those plants that I forget about until I get a whiff of it and remember again just how lovely it smells. MMMMmmmmm....

Baked

I'm going to bake a cherry pie today!

The girls and I picked some beautiful fresh cherries off a friend's tree last weekend so I'm feeling inspired. I make a mean apple pie so I'm sure I can do the cherries justice as well.

Come to think of it, the last few months that I've been home has been very productive in the kitchen. This is what I've baked up so far in single or several batches: chocolate zucchini muffins, chocolate chips cookies, gingerbread cookies, chocolate chip chick pea cookies, lemon loaf, cupcakes, peanut butter cookies, chewy raisin oatmeal cookies, banana loaf, apple oatmeal muffins, apple crumble, tapioca pudding.

The list will go on because I've been stashing away recipes for granola bars, puddings, and various chocolate and oatmeal inspired desserts. Maybe being home with the children has fired up the domestic instinct in me, or something...

To be honest, I like eating homemade treats, so what better way to keep up the supply that to keep baking!

It has crossed my mind to start a second career in baking and open a shop, but I hear it's tough. Really tough. Good quality ingredients are expensive and you need a steady stream of clients to keep business on track. Maybe I'll give it a crack when I have "more time" on my hands.

For now I'll keep on baking in my kitchen for my own enjoyment.

Ding dong the concrete's gone!

Well, the concrete isn't all gone, but it's nicely smashed up.

Coming home today I pulled up behind a construction van that was parked in front of the house, then noticed the huge mound of rubble in the alley between our house and the neighour's. Still not sure if the neighbour was having work done, I plunked my stuff on the porch and came across a young guy walking out from the alley.

Are you working behind my house?" I said. "Yes" he replied.

So, the water proofing has begun! It was just one guy today and he did and nice and neat job of smashing up the concrete platform that ran along the back on the house.  I'm glad to see it go. It was ugly. He did leave an awkward stump though because it doesn't interfere with the work that needs doing. I wondering if we can get it removed as well if we offer more money. It's worth a shot seeing as they have the tools and will be hauling it all away anyways. Could also be cheaper than getting someone else in there later on.

The guy will be back tomorrow along with someone else to do the digging. Hopefully the rain will hold off until the weekend so the major work can get done this week.

Rain rain go away...

Actually, I was happy to hear the rain pouring down this morning. Not so happy to be woken up from a very peaceful sleep mind you, but whatever. I'll forgive Mother Nature this time.

The waterproofers were scheduled to come today to work their magic on our basement, but had to postpone due to rain. I imagine they'll be back later in the week after the ground has a chance to dry out.

We still haven't had the AC cleaned because two appointments were postponed do to rain back in May (or was it June??). There are so many work from home days that C can or is willing to take, so I have a feeling the AC will have to stay grubby until next Spring. Fingers crossed that it doesn't conk out on us now.

In the meantime I am positive that my poor parched garden is thankful for the dousing, because I sure haven't been paying it any attention lately. Some of the wild flowers popped up in the front yard, which I'm pleased to see, but I don't know what happened to all the sunflowers I planted in the back. Couldn't take the heat I guess.