All bullet points on our schedule for the weekend were accomplished: from bird grooming to appliance hunting. I won't bore you with all the trivals involved there, but we did conclude Whirlpool is the way to go.... so long as it passes the online review check that Paul's scheduled to do this week. I'm at Cape Fear for work just as I was scheduled to be, and Paul is holding down the fort as he was scheduled to be. So life is good.
On Sunday before I left for Cape Fear we decided to quickly swing by the house and see how things are going. Wow! What progress! They have the counter tops in, most of the lights, the floors are stained and they are working on installing the carpet right now. Oh dang it, I just realized I forgot my card reader so I'll have to post pictures when I get home on Saturday.
I've got to head down anyway and meet everyone for dinner, so good night!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Nothing Much
I got home Wednesday night from South Carolina field work, sat down to write and couldn't think of a single point of interest. Same thing happened yesterday! Paul got home from Utah yesterday morning at 6:00 am, had an hour nap at home as I was leaving for work, and then he went straight back to work. Really, our state of affairs is at the maintenance level at the moment. We are in "Phase I of pre-moving prep" but not much prep is happening... and not many recipes being tried at the moment. Sorry to bore y'all.
One thing that I did want to share is that I went to Border's bookstore last night with Alyssa from work (and she was kind to take me and my bike home afterwards). I bought a book to replace the two that I have been trying to read at home and have not really enjoyed: "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "Onion Girl." The first has a good story but I lost interest in the characters, and the second book I found was not my cup of tea by the second chapter- too violent for my tastes.
I am starting to find that in general, I prefer classic books because I think the authors had a better talent for character development, and another key difference is that the characters they created had integrity and qualities to admire. So many modern books are about people without morals or courage, and represent what I get tired of seeing in society. There are exceptions and I do stumble upon a good book here and there that I really can get into. I love the Harry Potter books, for instance, because the characters have real trials (in the sense of jealousy, friend problems, loss of family, etc) and real faults, but they have many good qualities to admire, and are truly good human beings. Plus, the creativity is outstanding in those books. And there's the mystery aspect, the humor, and the violence is more my speed as the books are written for kids!
Anyway, so at Border's last night I picked up the second book "Duty and Desire" in Pamela Aidan's trilogy that corresponds with Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." The fun thing about these books is that they are written from Mr. Darcy's perspective and they are written very, very well. I was surprised to see how well a woman could write from a male perspective, including the humor, the character interaction between Mr. Darcy and his friends and also between him and his hired help. I really loved the first book, "An Assembly Such as This," and the second one is already proving to be very enjoyable (hence, no dinner was cooked last night).
One thing that I did want to share is that I went to Border's bookstore last night with Alyssa from work (and she was kind to take me and my bike home afterwards). I bought a book to replace the two that I have been trying to read at home and have not really enjoyed: "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "Onion Girl." The first has a good story but I lost interest in the characters, and the second book I found was not my cup of tea by the second chapter- too violent for my tastes.
I am starting to find that in general, I prefer classic books because I think the authors had a better talent for character development, and another key difference is that the characters they created had integrity and qualities to admire. So many modern books are about people without morals or courage, and represent what I get tired of seeing in society. There are exceptions and I do stumble upon a good book here and there that I really can get into. I love the Harry Potter books, for instance, because the characters have real trials (in the sense of jealousy, friend problems, loss of family, etc) and real faults, but they have many good qualities to admire, and are truly good human beings. Plus, the creativity is outstanding in those books. And there's the mystery aspect, the humor, and the violence is more my speed as the books are written for kids!
Anyway, so at Border's last night I picked up the second book "Duty and Desire" in Pamela Aidan's trilogy that corresponds with Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." The fun thing about these books is that they are written from Mr. Darcy's perspective and they are written very, very well. I was surprised to see how well a woman could write from a male perspective, including the humor, the character interaction between Mr. Darcy and his friends and also between him and his hired help. I really loved the first book, "An Assembly Such as This," and the second one is already proving to be very enjoyable (hence, no dinner was cooked last night).
Monday, January 7, 2008
Family Visit Memories
My laptop has my pictures scrolling through as a screensaver and so I had a glimpse of some pictures from the family visit that I had not seen yet. My mom is an excellent picture-taker and documents events with an amazing quantity of photos, so naturally they have not all appeared on my screen during my days at work. But as they do, I have a nice gift of surprise and memories.
For our English family, here's a picture to show we did the traditional "Christmas Crackers" at Christmas dinner, complete with the enclosed jokes and crowns.
Below is the big scrapbooking day, with the dining room table wedged into the family room so we could have a better view of the TV for the many movies we watched while working. The men were out of the house for the day. Can you tell what movie we were watching? Hint: Starts with a "P" and ends in the word "Bride"
For our English family, here's a picture to show we did the traditional "Christmas Crackers" at Christmas dinner, complete with the enclosed jokes and crowns.
Below is the big scrapbooking day, with the dining room table wedged into the family room so we could have a better view of the TV for the many movies we watched while working. The men were out of the house for the day. Can you tell what movie we were watching? Hint: Starts with a "P" and ends in the word "Bride"
This was a once in a life-time event: Dad offered to curl Heather's hair. She said that this was something she couldn't miss, and she was very brave. Surprisingly, Dad's "softer look" as he called it, was a hit.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Forward Planning
Paul is king of what he calls "Forward Planning," which I think is British for our American common phrase, "Planning Ahead." Obviously. Well, he has us on a very precise schedule carrying us through mid-February, past Phase I, Phase II and Phase III of our many events that take place in the very, ultra-near future. I fear that blogging has not been accounted for on our calendar, but I'm going to give it my best effort so that y'all can be abreast of our events (the same as everyone goes through when they move). Here's the synopsis of the next month and a half.
Phase I - Pre-moving Prep: Scattered days this week we will both be traveling for work. I'll be going to Camden, SC and Paul will be going to Utah. Birds are scheduled in for their grooming so that we have no accidental flights out front doors during moving. On Saturday the 12th and 19th we are scheduled to pick appliances, book our U-haul and set up our utilities and insurance for our new home. I'll be in Cape Fear for work during the whole week of the 13th. Our home inspection takes place on the 21st and I'll be traveling to Virginia for that day and the next for work. On the 23rd we appear at our home to meet the builder and do the walk through. Then we do all the banking stuff related to the house on the 26th.
Phase II- Moving Commencement: We sign for the house on the Thursday the 31st, pick up the U-haul and start to organize for loading (we haven't scheduled in packing but it starts today). People from my church are helping Friday and Saturday to help us load and deliver and unload.
Phase III- Post Moving: Appliances arrive on Saturday the 2nd. I begin cleaning the apartment on Monday after work to finish on Tuesday for our move out inspection on the 5th. Paul comes home from Sweden on Thursday the 7th and we start our search for a car. On Sunday the 10th we'll get a rental car which I'll be using during the next week (end of bike riding) until we find another car, since we'll then be living too far from my work to make it work with one vehicle.
Something we haven't worked into the schedule is getting the Mustang fixed. It is leaking power steering fluid and some jerk tried to break into it this week (luckily for us, unsuccessful of completing any theft), so now we have to fix the window paneling and get the leak fixed.
This commentary does seem overbearing and it is a not-so-subtle plea for sympathy. I know everyone has their trials and ours are not any more significant than yours, but it does help me feel better to write it down and share with a listening eye!
I think before starting the packing, I'm going to chill out with a bit of scrapbooking or continuing on with knitting The Sweater. On that score, things are moving along. The trunk is finished and I'm about to start the sleeves. Funny how out of proportion things look from this angle! Paul tried The Sweater on last night for the first time and it fit pretty well. A little snug perhaps, but in my defense he did have a big bulky T-shirt on underneath.
Phase I - Pre-moving Prep: Scattered days this week we will both be traveling for work. I'll be going to Camden, SC and Paul will be going to Utah. Birds are scheduled in for their grooming so that we have no accidental flights out front doors during moving. On Saturday the 12th and 19th we are scheduled to pick appliances, book our U-haul and set up our utilities and insurance for our new home. I'll be in Cape Fear for work during the whole week of the 13th. Our home inspection takes place on the 21st and I'll be traveling to Virginia for that day and the next for work. On the 23rd we appear at our home to meet the builder and do the walk through. Then we do all the banking stuff related to the house on the 26th.
Phase II- Moving Commencement: We sign for the house on the Thursday the 31st, pick up the U-haul and start to organize for loading (we haven't scheduled in packing but it starts today). People from my church are helping Friday and Saturday to help us load and deliver and unload.
Phase III- Post Moving: Appliances arrive on Saturday the 2nd. I begin cleaning the apartment on Monday after work to finish on Tuesday for our move out inspection on the 5th. Paul comes home from Sweden on Thursday the 7th and we start our search for a car. On Sunday the 10th we'll get a rental car which I'll be using during the next week (end of bike riding) until we find another car, since we'll then be living too far from my work to make it work with one vehicle.
Something we haven't worked into the schedule is getting the Mustang fixed. It is leaking power steering fluid and some jerk tried to break into it this week (luckily for us, unsuccessful of completing any theft), so now we have to fix the window paneling and get the leak fixed.
This commentary does seem overbearing and it is a not-so-subtle plea for sympathy. I know everyone has their trials and ours are not any more significant than yours, but it does help me feel better to write it down and share with a listening eye!
I think before starting the packing, I'm going to chill out with a bit of scrapbooking or continuing on with knitting The Sweater. On that score, things are moving along. The trunk is finished and I'm about to start the sleeves. Funny how out of proportion things look from this angle! Paul tried The Sweater on last night for the first time and it fit pretty well. A little snug perhaps, but in my defense he did have a big bulky T-shirt on underneath.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Native Plants to North and South Carolina
Ever since I took botany in college, the importance of growing plants native to where I live has been important to me. That's not to say I don't enjoy my orchids or that I will only grow native plants in our new backyard, but I think it's an important thing to consider when planting a garden. It's helpful to the environment to support plants that often get pushed out of existence by non-native, invasive plants. Also, water requirements for plants native to a region are more likely to be fulfilled by the natural rainfall of that region (maybe with a little help from your hose). If you live in southern California like I did, or other arid regions, it is most beneficial to your water bill, and for water conservation in general, if you plant native species that are drought-tolerant. A little research is required, but you might be surprised what you may find!
Now that we live in the Charlotte, NC area, it has been a goal of mine to gradually learn some of the plants native to this area so that we can plan our backyard trees, shrubs and flowers. I was pretty excited to find the Plant Native site which lists native plants (and their characteristics) in the location that you choose. The list is limited to the United States. It also has a nursery search that allows you to find nurseries in your area that carry native plants!
Now that we live in the Charlotte, NC area, it has been a goal of mine to gradually learn some of the plants native to this area so that we can plan our backyard trees, shrubs and flowers. I was pretty excited to find the Plant Native site which lists native plants (and their characteristics) in the location that you choose. The list is limited to the United States. It also has a nursery search that allows you to find nurseries in your area that carry native plants!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The Baking Tournament Results
My apologies for taking so long and keeping you in suspense with the results of the Baking Tournament held here in our home over the Christmas vacation. At long last....
"Mighty Mom" scored 3 points in the tasty category and 4 points in the traditions category, 3 points for texture and 4 points for appearance for her Southern Boiled Custard.
"Kare The Bear's" cinnamon rolls scored 3 points for taste, 3 points for tradition, 4 points for texture, and 4 points for appearance.
"Paulie 'The Mincer' Pie" scored 5 points for tradition (English tradition), 5 points for appearance, 3 points for taste, and 4 points for texture with his Mince Pies.
"Mighty Mom" scored 3 points in the tasty category and 4 points in the traditions category, 3 points for texture and 4 points for appearance for her Southern Boiled Custard.
"Mighty Mom" and "Kare The Bear" worked together to make Jill Cooper's gingerbread cookies with some additional ingredients for added spice. We scored 5 points for texture, 2 points for tradition, 2 points for appearance and would have scored more points for taste, but accidentally put too much salt which gave us only 2 points for taste in the end.
"Burbee The Baker" scored a whopping 5 points for taste (first plate to be cleared), 5 points for tradition (being the shortbread cookie recipe of our great-grandmother, Nanna), 3 points for appearrance and 4 for texture.
"Gary The Pot-Stirrer Man" scored 4 points for taste (second plate to be cleared), 2 points for texture (the chocolate kept melting and re-solidifying), 3 points for tradition and and 4 points for appearance. Gary had two assistants.
"Kare The Bear's" cinnamon rolls scored 3 points for taste, 3 points for tradition, 4 points for texture, and 4 points for appearance.
"Paulie 'The Mincer' Pie" scored 5 points for tradition (English tradition), 5 points for appearance, 3 points for taste, and 4 points for texture with his Mince Pies. So here are the results you've been waiting for:
First place: Tied between "Burbee The Baker" and "Paulie 'The Mincer' Pie" with 17 points
Second place: Tied between "Mighty Mom" and "Kare The Bear" with 14 points
Third place: "Gary The Pot-Stirrer Man" with 13 points
Fourth place: The "Mighty Mom" and "Kare The Bear" team with 11 points
Let me know by comment or email if you want any of these recipes posted!
Let me know by comment or email if you want any of these recipes posted!
Our Pseudo-Empty Nest
Paul and I can't claim that we have "Empty Nest Syndrome" because we don't have any little fledglings that have flown the coop. We do have Clementine and Fairy, but they seem to like the nest and won't be going anywhere, and our family that has left the nest aren't our kids! The day after my parents left out house to return home to California, a friend of ours, Clara, from Paul's old work flew in to spend a few days. She left this morning at 4:30 before Paul and I got up for work and now we are back to reality.
This morning I was sorting through the fridge looking for lunch from the remaining leftovers from the past week's festivities and I came across some yogurt that my sister had in our fridge and some leftover snack carrots that my mom had left, and her brand of yogurt. And I thought, "Awww, that's my sister's, and mom's..." It made me feel like we're pretty darn alone all at once. We've had practically non-stop company for two weeks now, and I was getting quite used to having everyone there. Sigh.
So as I sit here and eat my sister's yogurt, I was reflecting on things and thought to my consolation: we can't say we'll be bored because we both have work travels coming up, mortgage decisions to make and paperwork for the house to get started. We sign on the 23rd! Life is exciting and new with each turn we make, and it is always surprising that it can still feel that way after our 32 and 35 years of experience.
This morning I was sorting through the fridge looking for lunch from the remaining leftovers from the past week's festivities and I came across some yogurt that my sister had in our fridge and some leftover snack carrots that my mom had left, and her brand of yogurt. And I thought, "Awww, that's my sister's, and mom's..." It made me feel like we're pretty darn alone all at once. We've had practically non-stop company for two weeks now, and I was getting quite used to having everyone there. Sigh.
So as I sit here and eat my sister's yogurt, I was reflecting on things and thought to my consolation: we can't say we'll be bored because we both have work travels coming up, mortgage decisions to make and paperwork for the house to get started. We sign on the 23rd! Life is exciting and new with each turn we make, and it is always surprising that it can still feel that way after our 32 and 35 years of experience.
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