Going Domestic

wish everything was this easy

holes

Today was another of those lousy days where I yelled at everyone (both needed and needlessly) and once again cursed the misfortune of our poorly-timed impending move. If anyone finds two extra weeks in the month of May, let me know, okay?  I'm not sure that we'll all make it ...

Today I got to cross one of the many unfinished projects around the house off of the giant list of unfinished projects: fixing the living room curtains. The house came with peach chiffon pinch-pleat curtains, which we were quick to remove. We replaced them with dark blue tab curtains, but the tabs were too long so I improvised and stuck the curtain rod through a channel running across the top of the curtains. A quick and dirty fix (and that's what it looked like, too, unfortunately). The problem is that we left them like that for 3.5 years. Back before we took off for St. John's, I decided that grommets would really well on them, and even bought the grommets when Fanny's Fabrics was clearing them out! Why, oh why, didn't I fix the curtains back then? I must have thought that it was going to be really hard ...

Anyway, it turns out that they were easy to put in! Trace a circle, cut, pop in grommet. I managed to get all five curtain panels done, and they look great. Relieved to have decent curtains in place for the next residents of this place. I should take a photo ...

This evening I was too depressed to prime the last closet door. Instead I rounded up more boxes of clothes and toys for donation - some charity is coming by tomorrow. I have eight boxes waiting by the door to be put out tomorrow morning. I hope it's a big truck!

me vs. latex paint

Instead of grumbling about the ridiculous time-line for our next move, I thought that I'd just pass along that rubbing alcohol (along with an abrasive sponge) has proven fairly effective at removing dry latex paints from my second-favourite pair of jeans, and my Lululemon yoga pants. Don't ask me why I wear my good clothes for painting, or why the front closet door is only half primed ...

because I need an upbeat post

The tulips that I planted in the fall of 2005 are up! Which means that they must have come up last spring, too! Maybe absolute neglect is the best way for me to ensure that they survive more than a single season ...

a-ha moment?

I don't do moving well. I still remember the frustrations of our move from St. John's back here to Calgary - the ever-changing moving date, having to reschedule some appointments and cancel others, and arguing about what to pack and what to leave. I hate that we have to do it all over again in 6-8 weeks. We just got here. Is there even time to enjoy anything about being back home?

The list of to-do projects for our house was pretty long before our plane landed in Calgary, just three weeks ago tomorrow. We immediately added two more; large ones that really couldn't wait 3-5 years for further attention, unless we wanted even more work. There are so many things that we'd left unfinished. Why didn't we just paint the door frames all at once? Madeline just fell asleep (so late!) and I'm not going to bed until I have a coat of primer on one of them. It's killing me that we're probably going to have to leave the ensuite half-finished. The flowerbeds un-tidied. I guess I feel that no one will care about our house if we didn't care enough to leave it in good shape.

We're moving to Thailand. Again, we don't have a set moving date. I just can't see how everything that we need to do will be done in time, no matter how much time we have.  I think I'd need at least six months to convince my parents that Skype is the way to go :)

Eggs-cellent

It has taken over five years of viewing the Food Network for Alton Brown to grow on me, but he has. I am not sure why I didn't give the guy a chance earlier - maybe I thought that his show was too slow or didn't find the costumed-actor segments of the program amusing. It was actually Alton in print that has led me to change my mind, actually. I received a copy of I'm Just Here for the Food: Version 2.0 for Christmas, and it appeals to the geek in me like no other cookbook ever has. I learned how to trick up a gas barbeque with a hairdryer (not trying that one at home, I must say), I learned why I ought to have a pressure cooker, and I now have a groovy set of fridge magnets depicting happy farm animals displaying their best cuts of meat. When on earth did food science become so interesting?

Alton suggests making humble scrambled eggs over a double boiler. I tried that for lunch today. Know what? They were the best scrambled eggs I've ever made.

monstropolis rambings ...

So, about eleven days after arriving back in this monstropolis of a city, I decide to call my physician's office because I am overdue for my annual check-up and am concerned about skin cancer. I remember that it's often hard to get appointments for less than ten days to two weeks in advance, so I request an appointment for some time in May. And there's a waiting list. Groan. Doomed, I tell you. My check-up is only one of the many things that I need to do before the end of May, when we're supposed to be moving again.

What is good about this city other than it's time zone making staying in touch with friends and family easier? The traffic is insane. Chris asked me to drive him to the airport next weekend, and I'm already freaked out.  I have successfully avoided driving on those roads that lead to the airport. They were scary enough when there were fewer people on them!

I can't stand how I am scared to spend any money here. Even if it's groceries, or expenses that Chris and I have previously agreed upon. It seems that we never have enough to make life in Calgary feasible.

I've been passing the time by cleaning out closets. It's amazing that how going without things for a year makes you realize how little you need them.

little bunny foo-foo

Reunited with my silpat and parchment just in time for Easter! My sous chef preferred to eat sprinkles with the cookie on the side, but at least the raw dough wasn't tempting!