Stress & Cereal

2:19 pm - Tue, Jul 12, 2011

World’s Longest Yard Sale —UPDATE

I’m so excited for the World’s Longest Yard Sale this year. I just booked my hotel room for Friday and Saturday nights and I’m coming up with a game plan for the trip.

Packing List:

Boxes to corral small items

Newspaper to wrap breakable items

Bungee cords…in case I need to strap something to the roof

Variety of bill sizes and coins

LOTS of water & ice

Snacks (both munchy snacks and more substantial)

What are some of your favorite road trip foods to pack?

Any yard sale strategies that you use to negotiate the best price or find that treasure?

The offer is still open, so let me know if you want to join me!

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7:29 am - Mon, Apr 25, 2011

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4:58 pm - Fri, Apr 22, 2011

Easter Dinner in the New Kitchen

Easter is right around the corner and I’m hosting this year! It will be a small crowd, just my parents and Holly and Mark (Vince’s sister & her hubby), but I’m excited for the first holiday celebrated in my new kitchen!

Here’s what’s on the menu:

Appetizers:

Deviled eggs

Sweet Grass Dairy cheese patter 

Main:

Spiral sliced ham with a glaze. I’ll probably use something similar to this Old Fashioned Ham with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze from Bon Appetit.

Sides:

Yeast rolls but shape them in rounds and bake in a 13x9 pan

Twice baked potatoes

Either roasted asparagus because they are in season and nutmeg + roasty toasty asparagus is delish OR triple pea salad but use a different dressing because tarragon isn’t my favorite.

Dessert:

Angel food cake with strawberries and lemony whipped cream

Cocktail:

Bocce Ball as seen on Sweetoothed. I’ll probably mix up a bunch of the cocktail punch-style and as we fill up our glasses top it off with soda water.

What are your Easter plans?

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1:18 pm

Happy Earth Day!

What are you doing to celebrate Mother Earth and keep her happy for generations to come?

Earth Day actually snuck up on me this year, so I don’t have anything specifically planned for the day but I thought I’d share some of the things Vince and I do every day of the year.

• LIGHTS/LIGHTBULBS: This is one that I struggle with, ask Vince and he will tell you that I am just TERRIBLE about leaving lights on throughout the house (though in my defense, it is a tiny house). So, even though we’ve transitioned most of the bulbs in our house to the energy-efficient kind, I’m still working on this!

• RECYCLE: We recycle just about everything in our house. Dekalb County has a great curbside recycling program, but places like Your Dekalb Farmers Market has a whole section of their parking lot to set aside for recycling. I get really excited when our recycling bins are more full than our trash can. 

• COMPOST: This is a BIG thing for us. I hated seeing all those useful kitchen scraps (fruit & veggie-no meat!) getting tied up in plastic bag destined for the landfill. I say useful because by composting I’m creating nutrient-rich material for my gardens in addition to reducing the amount of “trash” that goes out to the curb.  I used the book “Backyard Composting: Your Complete Guide to Recycling Yard Clippings” by Harmonious Technologies. It outlines the different types of composters, composting styles, formulas, etc. I got the generally idea, but really, I just fill a bowl with kitchen scraps (known as “green” material) as I cook, then dump it in the bin, and mix yard clippings (known as “brown” material). All it needs is a little moisture, periodic “stirring”, and time. I’ve found that pine needles don’t decompose very fast and that’s what most of our yard clippings are composed of-so I’m always on the look-out for other “browns” I can add to my pile. My dad helped me build my double compost bin year or so ago and here’s what it looks like:

This side is getting close to being ready for the garden!

I am currently adding to this side (and I probably need some more “browns” on top!)

• EATING LOCALLY & MORE VEGGIES: When we eat at home, I try to fill our plates 2/3 full of veggies and leave the rest for meat and starch. I’m also thinking of incorporating a weekly meatless meal. Hopefully that will make me get more creative with grains, legumes, and veggies! Eating more locally produced food is something that I am still working on. As you know I’ve started volunteering at the Decatur Farmers Market (which btw is from 9-1 tomorrow), so I’ll be procuring some of our veggies and eggs from those farmers in addition to those that I’m growing in my backyard (a post on that in the coming days). I feel like eating locally helps small farmers, keeps “heritage” or “heirloom” varieties of fruits/veggies/meats/poultry viable, and cuts down on emissions from transportation.

• CLEAN GREEN: This is a project that has been in the works for a long time. I’ve been wanting to make and use my own natural cleaners. I bought a box of Borax and a big jug of vinegar and that’s about as far as I’ve gotten. Anybody already doing this? I’d love some advice and suggestions!

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1:35 pm - Wed, Apr 20, 2011

Countdown to World’s Longest Yard Sale

As of this writing the World’s Longest Yard Sale (aka the 127 Sale) is only 105 days, 10 hours and 49 minutes away….August 4-7. The sale runs 675 miles from Gadsden, AL to Hudson, MI and I’m going.

Last year, my mom and I packed snacks, water, tarps, bungee cords, and newsprint, piled in her ca, and headed to Chattanooga, TN to hit the sale. Work schedules and poor planning on my part meant that we only spent 1 day on the road. But we took full advantage and learned some lessons for this year. I’m starting to make plans for this year’s trip-so that *hopefully* I can find a hotel room along the way. I learned from last year to pack a TON of water, not just a few bottles, and to bring some more substantial food because the towns and restaurants are few and far between. The biggest lesson I learned was to grab it when you see it. Almost 1 year later, I’m still thinking about a yellow wire egg basket that I could have bought for $12 and have seen on Etsy for $35+. 

The deals, the people and the stories are so much better at WLYS than at any yard sale, estate sale or antique store. We met so many people who just pulled some boxes from their attic and set them out on a card table in the front yard. And there were some gems in those boxes, many of which hadn’t seen the light of day in decades. 

Here are pictures from the sale and some of my finds:

Mason jars & milk bottles, an old wooden box, pristine 1940s fabric, teapot, little watering can, juicer, an old thermometer, a jar of jam, and little rusty door from a PO Box.

So let me know if you are interested in coming!

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12:00 pm

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Gone for way too long.

Hey ya’ll,

Sorry for the extended hiatus, it’s been one…ok 2…of those weeks where I just couldn’t stand the sight of my computer ONE MORE SECOND after I was done with work. So here’s some of the stuff that’s been happening since I’ve been gone.

The last post was a photo of chocolate and strawberries. I was making those for our good friend Michael and his new wife Catherine. See, Michael and Vince have been best friends for ages and lived together for several years after college. They are truly the odd couple, but somehow it works for them. I love Michael and he’s like the brother I never had. He is unapologetically himself. He loves and accepts Vince, and always has. Almost 3 years ago when Vince and I got married, Michael was uuber thoughtful and gussied up our wedding night suite. He set out champagne and wine, covered the room in rose petals and candles. So we, of course did the same thing for him. I forgot to take pictures of the room, but here are couple from the wedding.

The bride and groom (and Vince looking very serious in the background)

Trouble 1 and Trouble 2

I’ve been learning a new skill, but I can’t share that with you yet. That’ll be another post coming sometime late next week.

Tomorrow, Meghan of Sweet Toothed and I are headed down to Sweet Grass Dairy in N. Thomasville, GA for a course on making fresh cheese at home. We’ll tour the farm, learn the basics and make some fresh goat and cow cheeses to take home! So excited about this! We’re planning on making a long day of it by driving down Highway 3 and hopefully stopping off for some good road food and antique shopping along the way!

So, what have you been up to? Any plans for the weekend?

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2:56 pm - Sat, Apr 2, 2011

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4:30 pm - Fri, Apr 1, 2011

Kitchen Remodel: Done!…..pretty much

I *heart* Craigslist. Here’s why.

We had an old, admittedly cruddy-looking, GE dishwasher. It worked fine other than not really drying the dishes. My dad and Vince unhooked it during demo and parked it in our make-shift kitchen during the remodel. We finally got to the point where our appliances were being reinstalled, and the dishwasher started leaking out the side of the door. Grr. We had the guys look at it for 2 days and try to figure out what was wrong (pump…weather stripping…etc). Still, it leaked. 

So off to Brands Mart we go, because at this point what’s another couple Benjamins? (Is it dorky that I had to Google who was on the $100 bill? I should have known “It’s all about the Benjamins baby”) Vince and I must have earned some good karma along the way because we wound up getting a fancy new $500 dishwasher for half price! 

I couldn’t bear just trashing the old dishwasher—maybe somebody could fix it. So I posted it on Craigslist last night at 11pm. By 7:30am when I woke up, it was GONE! Totally freaking awesome. Like little dishwasher fairies.

RIP Ol’ GE

…and H-E-L-L-O fancypants dishwasher!

(ha ha…can you see me in the reflection?)

Enough of my chatter. Here’s what you really want to see:

There are still a few things left on the to-do list:

• Install hook so is chandelier centered over table
• Install ceiling fan that was in the space over the table (pre-demo) in the sitting room
• Putty & paint moldings
• Re-install 2 of the cabinet doors 
• Install end piece of granite against the wall by the door
• …I think that’s it!

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11:00 am

Confessions: Dream Job Edition

Here’s the second installment of Confessions here on Stress & Cereal, and I’m going to start with some broad generalizations.

I think we all dream of doing more with our lives. No matter who we are or what we do, there’s always a goal just slightly out of reach. I guess that’s normal; how else would we strive to improve ourselves, learn more, or make more connections?

I have a pretty awesome job. It is a job that only in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever have. I’ve got freedom to make critical decisions, I can be creative, and I am constantly learning. What more could I ask for? Still, it is a job, and the job has its ups and downs. I understand that, and I work through the good times and the bad.

But what would I do if I made a complete career change?

I’ve always thought about doing massage therapy. My mom started a tradition with my three older sister and I years ago. One day after the school year ended and another day right before Christmas, we would pile in the car and drive to Cedar Hill in north Georgia. There we would spend the day reading, walking the grounds or through their labyrinth, and getting a massage from Sister June. Yes, Sister June is a Dominican nun, but she also is a certified massage therapist. The smell of the oil, candles, and nature, the softness of the sheets, and the pervasive calm. It gave me the feeling like it was in a place like this that I needn’t worry about all the little things, I needed only to focus on the important things in life. A few years ago, Sister June retired. Though she still lives and participates in Cedar Hill’s activities, she no longer practices massage therapy.

I’ve gone to other spas, both chain and independent, and some are better than others. The one constant is the feeling I get of peace. I know that being on the delivery end of things would make the experience a little different. Still, I think it would be nice for your job to be transferring your serenity and strength to the client.

Sister #2, Cindy, is an athletic trainer for the University of New Hampshire recently finished her degree in massage therapy. She may be able to give me a reality check, but for now, it’s just a dream.

What is your dream job? How are you moving toward making it your real-life job…or is it just a fantasy?

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4:31 pm - Thu, Mar 31, 2011

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Kitchen Remodel: Final Week…Continued

Alright, so I may have been a little ambitious to outline that schedule last week, but I’m excited. Last week was a bit slower than the past weeks have been, but we did have 1 major accomplishment: COUNTERTOPS!!

Here’s a close-up of the hardware we chose. I really like its simplicity and how it feels. 

Here is our gigantor sink with our new beautiful faucet and totally awesome air-switch garbage disposal. The faucet came with the soap dispenser, so I’ll have to get used to filling that up. I am glad that there will be 1 less thing on the countertops! This was a debate in my office-are you a 1-bowl or 2-bowl sink person? As you can see I am FIRMLY a 1-bowl sink person. I like to be able to move my dishes around, easily fill and later clean large pots and pans, and I think there’s less opportunity to have the sink fill up with dirty dishes. What are your thoughts?

(yes…I know there’s a knob missing…)

I know you can’t really see it, but right behind the faucet the countertop was either cut (from the quarry or the countertop guys) a little bowed. By that I mean the ends of the countertop were flush against the wall, but in the center-right by the sink-there was a pretty significant gap. I was a little concerned because I didn’t want water to be able to splash down there and rot/mildew the cabinets. We talked to Spencer and he said they would just add a bit of sheetrock to the area and once the backsplash was in, we won’t be able to tell at all. Here’s hoping!

The other project that was started was replacing the moldings around the doors, windows and floors. We’re just having them install them and Vince and I (aka likely just me) will putty and paint. Here’s a shot of the door with new molding.

It is really amazing how open and (dare I say…) huge the kitchen feels now that busy-looking oak cabinets aren’t crowding the door anymore. 

More updates tomorrow…and it’s a biggie!! 

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10:24 am - Thu, Mar 24, 2011

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Run Less, Lose More | Women's Health Magazine

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4:26 pm - Wed, Mar 23, 2011

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