Shhh.... I'm trapped in the kitchen.

Although the thermometer says that it is only 95 degrees upstairs, I am sure that it is broken and should say ONE HUNDRED and ninety five degrees. It is that hot up there. As Bernie says, I sweat like a whore on dollar day when I walk up those steps. Or maybe that's not exactly the saying, but you get my point. It's just plain ICKY upstairs right now.

Did you know that in 1884 houses were not built with air conditioning? What the hell?


So anywhoo, a few weeks ago we broke down and bought a window unit. We decided to put it in a downstairs window, since we spend more time on the first floor than in our bedrooms. We figured 'eh, if it's too hot, we'll camp in the living room. Remember how much fun it was to sleep on the floor? To get the fabulous AC on a hot summer day? Remember?'

I remember.

Funny, but that distant memory from my twelfth year is not nearly as exciting at the age of thirty two. My kid probably likes it though; I get to sleep in my playpen? Watch Spongebob on TV through the mesh? YAY!! YAYYYYYYY!!!

We're going on night two of Camp Hedin in the living room. Around 7pm the couch unfolds and our living room turns into a mess of pillows and blankets and couch cushions. I put the Captain to sleep around 8pm and then go hide in the kitchen till it's time for me to go to bed, usually around 11pm. Why 11 o'clock? Well, that's when my husband gets home. And as any good wife should, I wait up and greet him with a welcome home kiss.  *eyeroll*  (see, I really am a fabulous housewife.  hehehe)

Surprisingly, the camping went well last night. Jack never woke up, Tom didn't snore and my back handled the thin spring mattress with ease.   Here's to another successful sleep in cramped quarters!  *raises glass of rum and coke*

(What?  I'm trapped in the kitchen. What else is there to do besides blog and have a glass of Mommy Juice?)

As Tom says"we like to be close".

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How To Make Your Husband Nervous, Lesson 1

How To Make Your Husband Nervous

Step 1.  Announce that you are going to Work On The House while he 60 miles away, but do not tell him exactly what project you are going to attack.   Let him wonder a little.

Step 2.  Drag necessary power tools to the project site.  In this case, it is a compound miter saw on top of the scary porch roof with no railing.

Step 3.  Send husband a mystery cell phone pic of work area, with no explanation.

Step 4.  Ignore immediate barrage of text messages asking what you are doing.

Step 5.  Ignore the calls that come too.

Step 6.  Figure out how to use a protractor,  measure, cut, and throw up a few boards of siding.

Step 7.  Send another pic, this time of your progress.

Step 8.  Followup immediately with a phone call to husband.  Smile calmly as he sounds a little panicked, asking you questions like 'Did you use the protractor?  Did you use a level?  You're using screws?!  Why are you using screws?!'

Step 9.  Tell him you love him and will see him after work.

Step 10.  Finish project, then enjoy the satisfaction of getting something done, sans man.

well, you can try it, but don't blame me if you cut a finger off or something

So.... how do YOU make your husband nervous?!  Tell your story!

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You'll have to see it to believe it.

Every small town has some sort of celebration, don't they?  Since I am new to small town living, I was extremely excited to attend this years Glencoe Days for the first time.  Corn feeds and tractor pulls and pie in the park. Loud music and mini donuts and bingo. Parades and fireworks and midget wrestling.  Wait.... did I just say midget wrestling?!? Oh yes I did!

Strangely, this is not my first run-in with amateur wrestling.   Many moons ago, in another Minnesota small town celebration two hours away, I saw cheesy entertainment wrestling. Is this some sort of midwestern small town regularity?  According to the schedule at Rock n Roll Buck ZumHofe, YES!

We hooked up the bike trailer and rode to Oak Leaf Park.  The day was beautiful; 70's, sunny and low humidity.  The townspeople were enjoying themselves.  Loud music, happy toddlers with grimy hands, teenagers milling about trying to look cool for the opposite sex, grandma and grandpa seated on the park bench eating pulled pork sandwiches...it was just as you'd expect any small town festival to be.

And then we saw the wrestling ring.  It was a sad looking affair; the ropes were frayed, the bumpers were wrapped in duct tape and there was a general sense of 'this ring has been traveling since 1973'.  But people were excited.  If you were, say, a six to ten year old boy, this was probably the Most Exciting Thing EVER.

The match started with women.   Was I concerned that my husband was watching two girls wrestle a mere fifteen feet away?  Not exactly. This wasn't the kind of wrestling you see on TV with tanned, toned, and busty babes (much to my husbands dismay).   It was cheesy, and funny, and the women were... real.   Like cellulite and muffin top real.  Buck and his crew gave a good show.  They engaged the crowd with insults and humor; they were true performers. It was over the top and the kids loved it.  The adults rolled their eyes in good spirits.  And then there was our two year old; imitating half nelsons and pile drivers at our feet in the grass.

But enough words... some things you just need to see to believe.

I am leaving you with the mini donut picture because sometimes I'm mean like that.

PS. It is possible that my husband purchased a midget wrestling t-shirt for ten dollars and then had Starla Love sign it with a red sharpie.  It's possible. But if it happened, I would never announce it on the internet.   I mean, how embarrassing, right?!

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Daring to Share

My favorite writing group just started a new prompt; Dare to Share. There is a different theme every week and you are encouraged to link up something old or new (a welcome change for those of us that are too lazy fresh out of ideas to write something new).  This weeks prompt was about animals.  It fit my current mood perfectly; I was just thinking about the dogs that have come and gone from my life, how unique they were, and how much I miss them all. There is nothing like the unconditional love that a mutt provides.  I linked up an older post about my buddy Nate.  Head over, read and share!






And beyond that, I have to share my latest addiction.  While I should be taking pics, editing and uploading junk to Camp Honeybelle, or blogging, or cleaning, or anything that is not considered avoiding housework, I keep finding myself building Etsy Treasuries.  It Is SO MUCH FUN. I love grouping things together by theme, color and idea.













Happy Saturday Peeps! We will be goofing off at Glencoe Days and hope to have some good stories for you tomorrow.

Over & Out,
Neens

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It's Official, I'm On ETSY!!!

I fell in love with Etsy when it first started; all of that handmade goodness and creativity in one clean spot.  I had dreams of selling my artsy wares and amazing crafts. And then I realized... I don't have any artsy wares or amazing crafts.  Sure, I have my moments of artistic brilliance ability, but nothing often enough to warrant an entire Etsy shop.

And then I started seeing vintage loveliness for sale.  The images were cleaner, the descriptions better, the forum was just so much nicer than buying or selling on ebay.  I said 'Self, You need to sell your vintage junk on Etsy'.  I said that probably 5 years ago.

Today I did it.

I set up shop, loaded five measly items online (what? you try to start an Etsy shop while watching toddlers) and within 8 hours I had my first sale!   I can't believe it! Am I the luckiest girl on the planet? Woo Hoo!

And so starts my career as a purveyor of retro crap goodies and handmade garbage artsyness on Etsy.

Check out Camp Honeybelle by RetroNina! I'll be busy uploading new items for the next few days...

retronina.etsy.com

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More than just grass.

We are 'those neighbors'. The ones with a few (dozen) dandelions.  The ones with the grass that is maybe a little taller than it ought to be.  The ones with yellow Tonka toys littering the lawn and trikes toppled over in a haphazard fashion near the garage.  And peeling white house paint.... but never mind that.

This spring as I was talking with a neighbor, he voiced concerns about the dandelions running rampant on our block.  He indicated that he was going to spray because 'they will just take over'.  I got the hint; he wanted us to spray for them, too.  Well, we didn't intend on spraying any chemicals on our yard. Part good-for-our-health, part not-in-the-household-budget.

I started reading up on those cheery little yellow flowers with nasty looking leaves.  People eat them.  They were brought over from Europe on purpose.  To cultivate and use for greens, wine, the root... you name it. And now they are primarily seen as weeds.  I didn't garner the courage to eat any dandelion greens this year... but next spring, oh yes, next spring I'll give it a go.

In addition to the dandelion debate with the neighbor, another event opened my eyes to the wonders hiding in our yard.  The CSA sent me home with goosefoot (aka lambs quarters) a couple of weeks ago.  They said to eat it in salads or saute them as you would spinach greens.  So I did.  And they were delicious! I had been pulling goosefoot all spring from the garden and flower beds; I had no idea that it was edible. Delicious, no effort to grow, and best of all FREE.

source: http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/surprising-lambs-quarters/ 

Now that I am paying a bit more attention to the green things that I mow and weed weekly, I have discovered that our lawn has all sorts of hidden beauties (I use that term loosely). We have several patches of oxeye daisies, creeping charlie, broadleaf plantain, white clover, wild violet, and purslane.  There are also some ugly squatters on our lawn like crab grass.  I have started transplanting the daisies to a bed along the south side of the house where they can grow tall and flower, instead of being ran over with the mower every week.  I have been on the market for a perennial ground cover in a north side bed; maybe I should look no further than my property!  The creeping charlie would do well there.  For some reason, learning to identify these weeds has earned them a soft spot in my heart; maybe they deserve more than disdain and eviction.

I should mention that we do indeed have mostly turf. Mostly.  I'm sure that the other things growing in our yard would send certain homeowners into a full-blown, call ChemLawn panic. But not us.

note:  The U of M Gardening Website helped this novice gardener tremendously in identifying her lawn inhabitants

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Goal Time

So many thoughts and ideas enter my mind, roll around, maybe get stuck, or roll right back out.   How do I know that I am hanging on the right ones?    What if something sticks that shouldn't, or what if the good stuff is getting buried under other wayward thoughts?

Enter LISTS. I've talked about them before; I love them. Lists gives me a sense of purpose followed by accomplishment.  They keep my mind on track.  And really, they are just little words on a little piece of paper that can get lost or thrown away or shoved in a drawer... and you still survive, even if everything isn't crossed off.

My summer needs purpose and direction.   The season is so short; I can't believe we are entering the end of June.  Which is followed by July.  And then August sneaks up on you and before you know it, it's September. Pumpkins, pilgrims and school supplies will be lining the shelves at Target. So yah. I need some lists, STAT.

I waited all winter for fair weather to start painting around here. Guess what? Haven't painted a thing. I bought and started 30 Day Shred back in... February?  Guess what? I've gained 5 pounds. I've been picking up cheap vintage goodies for what seems like my entire adult life in order to sell them. Guess what? I haven't sold on ebay in forever and starting an etsy shop is constantly in the back of my mind.

Nina's Next Two Weeks To-Do List:
1. Start Couch to 5 K (tomorrow)
2. Join FlyLady.  Her first instruction is to make your kitchen sink all sparkly. But right now, mine is full of dishes.  (so we'll start tomorrow, haha)
3. Paint the trim living room
4. Paint the ceiling in the living room
5. Open an Etsy Shop to sell ArtsyNina's vintage junk and handmade crap
6. Fix the broken glass in the bedroom window

Oh yah, well, I did number 6 today.  And I included it on this list just so that I could cross it off. I need immediate gratification like that.  Also, just so you know, reglazing 130 year old windows IS NOT FUN. You know how people are so crazy about that old, chippy paint look?  So shabby chic? So retro?  And they faux paint things just to recreate it?

They obviously aren't surrounded by it on every window, doorway and wall.

After taking apart the window, removing both upper and lower panes, removing the storm window, scraping, sanding, rubbing down with linseed oil, installing new glass and using my playdough skills to roll glazing compound, trimming excess glaze, putting it all back together and cleaning up, I AM TIRED.

So goodnight internets, I am off to fall into a lead paint chip induced slumber.

Love,
Nina

Linking up at:

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I've Got The World On A String...

... sittin' on a rainbow
got the string around my finger
what a world, what a life, I'm in love

Here is your daily dose of Cool:



Isn't Frank the best?  When time travel becomes popular and affordable, and I can look like I was at 27 indefinitely, I am going to Vegas in 1966 to see Sinatra and crew at the Sands.   Oh yes I am.  And I'd like a backstage pass.

Anyways, I do have the world on a string, because I found one at an awesome junk sale last weekend for a measly ten bucks!

Sweet, huh?

It's a Replogle globe, and according to their globe dating website, it's from 1958-1960.   So she really is old school.  It's so interesting to see what countries have changed hands and names over the last 50 years.  I've always had an obsession with maps; when I was young I used to want to be a cartographer (fancy name for map-maker).  I am also the only female in my family who can actually read a map.  Seriously.

So this was a major score! Yay for successful junk hunting.

Now.... where do I put the darn thing?

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A Rhubarb Margarita?

Why yes!   In my kitchen!

I'm just about rhubarbed out.  After a batch of rhubarb jam, drinking a rhubarb stew, two different rhubarb muffin recipes and a few cups diced and frozen for later, I just wasn't sure what to do with my last few stalks. I certainly wasn't about to throw them out and I was sick of desserts.

So.... enter the rhubarb margarita!

I threw 2 cups of diced rhubarb into a sauce pan with 1/4c. water. I let it boil for about 10 minutes; long enough for the rhubarb to fall apart.  I removed from the heat and added 4-5 tablespoons of sugar, stirring till dissolved.  I let it cool for about 20 minutes.  I had intended to let it cool in the fridge for a couple hours, but damnit, it was margarita time now, not two hours from now.

I filled the blender about half full of ice, added the cooked rhubarb (pulp and all), added 2 shots tequila, and crushed her up! I decided to add another splash of tequila -you can decide for yourself how much tastes good.

A margarita isn't a margarita without a glass rimmed in salt.  Or in this case, sugar.  Although I wonder if salt might be good too.  I'll have to try that next time.    Because oh yes, there will be a next time.

I think I just found my new favorite spring drink!

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Last Nights Supper

We left our farm visit yesterday with a bag full of salad greens; chard, spinach and goosefoot. There were also some green onions, chives, radish and broccoli.  I already a recipe in mind for dinner, but there was still room for a fresh salad and sauteed greens!   Oh yes there was.   My mouth was watering for that earthy, fresh from the garden goodness.

The main course was a really simple pasta carbonara. I've never tried this dish professionally prepared, so I have no idea what it's supposed to taste like.  I only know that I like it! The recipe is adapted (mine is a teensy bit different) from a bright and cheerful cookbook I rescued from a thrift store shelf:

The Weekly Feeder

(still available from Amazon)

Ingredients:

12oz. spaghetti 

1/2 lb bacon, chopped

1/2 c. fresh italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 eggs

2 T. olive oil

2 T. bacon grease

1/2c. shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Cook bacon pieces until crispy, remove from pan and reserve drippings

2. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water.  Drain and return to pan over medium heat.

3. Add beaten eggs; toss lightly and quickly

4. Remove from heat and add olive oil, bacon drippings; toss again.

5. Add parsley, bacon and Parmesan, then toss and serve!

Now- sure hope you have some of those bacon drippings left because you'll need them for these yummy greens!  I've never cooked a 'green' besides spinach.  This is new territory. And did you know that chard is just beet tops? And that you can eat radish tops?  Did you?!!  Because I didn't.

I found this sweet and tangy recipe for greens at SimplyRecipes.com.

Beet Greens Recipe

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound beet greens
• 1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped (or a tablespoon of bacon fat)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/6 cup of cider vinegar

METHOD

1 Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems. Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

2 In a large skillet or 3-qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned on medium heat (or heat 1 Tbsp of bacon fat). Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occassionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil.

3 Add the beet greens, gently toss in the onion mixture so the greens are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-15 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in vinegar. (For kale or collard greens continue cooking additional 20 to 25 minutes or until desired tenderness.)

Yield: Serves 4.

So there! A healthy dinner just for you. Except for the bacon. ;)

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I want to live on a farm.

There, I said it.

I want to live on a farm. Not a mass production corn or wheat or crazy crop farm, but a hobby farm. Or maybe just enough acreage to have some chickens. And turkeys. And goats, kittens, geese, dogs, cows and ducks. And a husband to take care of all that (Hi Farmer Tom!)

Jack and I went to an open house at Dunlooken Farm this afternoon. I was there a few weeks ago to pick rhubarb and I was totally unprepared; I did not have a camera.  But I was ready today!  The weather was beautiful, the kids were cute, the animals were cuter, and the fresh greens I took home and cooked were delicious!

Lovin the clouds today

Moooo!

Mom! That cow licked me!!

No chasing the fowl, Jack.

Makes me think of Billy Goats Gruff.

Jack and the turkey were the same height.

My favorite shot today.

He was eating goat cheese on crackers.

More pretty skies.

Thank you, Minnesota, for a wonderful day!

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A Few Then and Now House Pics

We've owned this joint almost a year now. We've lived here full-time for seven months.   Sometimes it seems like we have accomplished so little.  But really, we have accomplished a lot. This list is more for me than for you... to help me feel like we are getting somewhere around here.

We replaced the roof and roof decking
We replaced the furnace
We rebuilt the plumbing
We installed a new water heater
We had the circuit breaker box replaced along with the main electrical line into the house
We have updated several outlets and ran some (not all yet) new wiring
We poured concrete under the mudroom, installed a subfloor and ran plumbing for the washer and new laundry tub
We reglazed all the windows
We replaced the bathroom subfloor and installed new laminate
We replaced water damaged drywall and cement board in the bathroom
We tore out several rooms of carpet
We painted the kitchen and the living room
We painted the lower east side of the house
We added a closet to the livingroom

AND have been chasing a toddler, working, having fun, cooking, cleaning, sewing, BLOGGING, etc.

Here are some before pics, some after pics, and some Just Because pics.

On our first drive by

Today

Awesome huge hostas donated from a neighbor

Kitchen then

Kitchen now

Kitchen now

Living room then

Living room now

Living room now

Living  room now

Living room now

Can you tell that I have a toddler? and no designated playroom?

Laundry room/mud room

 The owners before us did laundry in the cellar. There was NO WAY I was going to do laundry down there.  My lovely husband made main floor laundry a reality.  It ain't pretty, but it works!

Laundryroom/mudroom

Bedroom then

The entire upstairs has been largely ignored. We'll get around to fixing it up eventually.

Bedroom now

Garage now

 Instead of scraping paint off the house, like I should be doing, I hang license plates on the garage...

Birdie I bought at a yard sale

....and birdies on the door.

Here's another couple Just Because photos.

First radish of the season

My garden center

There is still so much to do.  Besides finishing the bathroom (which has no postable pics because it is still so undone), I really want to get in a new kitchen floor.  The duct tape that has been holding it together for the last ten years is starting to fall off.

*sigh*

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