My Itty Bitty House

My dream of becoming a homeowner has finally come to fruition!  It has been a long, ridiculous process but man, what a ride!  I have finally found the perfect home for me, and it has been aptly named my "Itty Bitty House".  My "new" home is only 860 sq ft.  I say "new" because it was built in 1950.  For what it lacks in modern features and stature, it surely makes up for with charm.

My sleeves have been rolled up for the last 6 days and I don't intend on stopping anytime soon.  The house needs some love and I have plenty to give.  At the moment, I am concentrating on revamping the living room and bedroom before I move my things in this Saturday.  So far, I have painted the trim and baseboards with a nice oil-based paint.  Two coats with a 24 hour wait in between for drying.  The former owners were smokers so there are plenty of nicotine layers to cover.  Example:  bleh...

I have painted the ceilings, they were pretty nasty, too but now look brand new.  A new ceiling fan has been mounted in the living room.  My color choice for the living room is pretty bold but awesome.  Here is the before and the after.  Still need a 2nd coat of paint which will go up today and obviously the tape needs removing.  :-)

Before:

After: (At least one wall, lol)

Before:

After:

I'll be sure to post better pics later, but for now these will do.  Tonight I am going to paint my bedroom a dark gray and put the 2nd coat on in the living room.  All outlets and their covers and all vent covers will be replaced as well as blinds.


I am going to be a weekend warrior for a long, long time.  LOL  Hope you've enjoyed the sneak peak!  I'll be sure to post more as I go along.

I'd like to end this post by saying that the power of positive thinking and the law of attraction are very powerful and effective tools to get what you want out of life.  I have focused so much on this happening and now it is finally mine.  I realized this yesterday and was completely blown away by how quickly your world can change just by saying, "yes" instead of "no", by believing there IS a way your dreams can come true.  If you want something, make it happen.

Cheers!

Dumpster Chair

So, a couple of weeks ago I had just got home from work.  I parked my Jeep in my usual parking spot (two spots  down from the dumpster).  As I got out of my sexy beast of a ride, I noticed a chair sitting next to the dumpster and thought, "Wow, thats a pretty cool little chair!"

Now, mind you, I am no dumpster diver and not that I have a problem with people who do, I just never took anything from a dumpster before but something told me to check out that chair.  It looked in really good shape to me so I brought it inside with the hopes of revamping this antique-ish treasure.

A few days later while perusing my Facebook feed, I saw a post from my friend, Whiskey Birmingham (aka Miranda Neff - obviously a priceless roller derby friend).  Whiskey had just opened her new upholstery business and was taking orders.  Um.....PERFECT!  A few messages later, I dropped my dumpster chair off to her and picked out an awesome fabric.  I took the frame home with me and commenced to painting.

Two coats of heirloom white spray paint (because whicker is a b#$%h to paint with a brush).

Then I used a Java Brown glaze in the nooks and crannies and even some on the edges to give it that neat antique look.  Next I used a non-gloss protective coat to keep the paint from chipping.

By the time I had finished with the paint job, Whiskey had finished reupholstering the cushion for the seat.  She screwed it back on for me and BOOM!!!  I now am the proud owner of one awesome dumpster chair that looks anything but.  

Whiskey did an AMAZING job.  Very professional and very time savvy.  She may just be starting her business but she is already fantastic and i HIGHLY recommend her if you need any work done.  I couldn't be happier with the outcome!

THANK YOU, WHISKEY! 

Holy Wow Tilapia & Sylvie Sprouts

I love food.  I love to cook.  But more than that, I love to cook for others.  Pleasing the taste buds of my loved ones is something I cherish.

I relish every aspect of preparing a meal.  From prep to plate, from the sound of my blade connecting to the cutting board to the sound of the sizzle in my pan -- cooking can be incredibly therapeutic if you let it.  I also love the lingering smell in my house and I must admit, I do get a little sad when the smell of garlic has left the tips of my fingers.  Weird?  Maybe, but I don't care much.

Here is a dish that I created last night.  Don't like brussel sprouts?  Bet you'd like mine!  It's pretty funny that I'm excited about these brussel sprouts (given the name "Sylvie Sprouts" by my BF) because I absolutely loathed them as a child.  Sorry, mom.  :-)  I am fascinated by how much our taste buds can change as an adult.  I used to hate chinese food, chili and sauerkraut, too, but they are all very welcome within the confines of my belly these days.

Enough, enough already......

RECIPE!!

Holy Wow Tilapia & Sylvie Sprouts

Feeds 2
Ingredients:

Sylvie Sprouts
20 Fresh Brussel Sprouts (must emphasize FRESH, pretty important folks)
3 cloves roughly chopped Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup (ish) Butter
Sea Salt & Freshly Cracked Pepper

Holy Wow Tilapia
4 Tilapia Filets
Flour
Olive Oil
Sea Salt & Freshly Cracked Pepper
3-4 Large White Button Mushrooms sliced
2 Green Onions chopped (white & green parts)
1/2 Shallot finely diced
Handful Parsley chopped
Juice of Half a Lemon
1/2 cup (ish) Chicken Stock

Ok, now that we got THAT out of the way.....

Let's start with the Sylvie Sprouts!

First, cut each brussel sprout lengthwise like-a so...

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Coat bottom of skillet with olive oil.  Add chopped garlic. Stir the garlic for a minute or two or until it just begins to brown and then remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside in baking dish.  This step will flavor your olive oil with the garlic like a boss!

Next, add the brussel sprouts to the skillet chopped side down until slightly charred on the bottom (usually takes a minute or two).

Then add the sprouts to the baking dish with the garlic.  (Reserve remaining oil in skillet for tilapia)

Drizzle the sprouts with more olive oil, season with salt & pepper and add the butter.  Stir to make sure all the sprouts are covered with the oil.  Put it in the oven uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  After about 10 minutes, stir with a spoon and put those babies back in the oven. 

Now.....onto the Holy Wow Tilapia.  mmm mmmm mmmm.....

Pat the filets dry with a paper towel.  Season with salt & pepper.  Then very lightly coat the filets with flour.  

Using the cast-iron skillet used for browning the sprouts, add a little more olive oil and set the filets in the skillet.  Once slightly golden brown, flip the filet (I seasoned with a little more salt at this point).  

After both sides are done, place filets on a plate lined with paper towel to catch the oil and cover with foil to keep the fishies nice and warm.  

In that same cast-iron skillet on low heat (this skillet does work, son!) add the chicken stock and about a tablespoon of flour.  Stir with small whisk until all the flour is incorporated with the chicken stock.  Then add the mushrooms, shallot, green onions and a little salt & pepper to taste.  This sauce is only slightly thickened so if it seems too thick, just add a little more of the chicken stock.

Cook together for about a minute or so and right before it's time to serve, add the parsley and lemon juice and stir.

Time for plating!  Layer the filets on top of each other (oh, who cares....just put em' on the plate!) and ladle a bit of that awesome sauce on top.  Sylvie Sprouts on the side, although those babies could be a meal all on their own....SWEAR.

Serve that plate of heaven (yes, heaven....) with a bottle of your favorite white wine and Aretha Franklin cracklin' on vinyl and your guests will be putty in your hands.  

Enjoy!

autumn surge

my most favorite time of year is upon us, autumn.  october.  leaves morphing into striking hues that inspire me so.  scarves and gloves.  sweaters and fuzzy socks.  boots and jackets.  blankets and hot chocolate.  soon, the familiar smell of chimney fires will fill the crisp air outside and transcend me back to my childhood.  i loved that smell then, still do.  i couldn't take in enough of it.  playing outside with friends.  happy times. 

with autumn comes many changes.  and those winds of change also spark the dramatic need for change in my own personal life.  i feel on fire in autumn.  i acquire that surge of energy needed to put wheels in motion.  i'm not sure where this annual desire comes from, or why it arrives.  after much thought over the years, i can only liken it to my childhood.  the end of summer, the beginning of a new school year.  school clothes, school supplies.  new classes, teachers, possible new friends and all the new anxieties that come along with the unknown.  fire, unsettling excitement.  energy.  change.  and for some reason, my psyche feels the need to recreate this need for change every autumn. 

someone very special to me brought this odd quirk of mine to my attention several years ago.  although, i did notice this "surge" myself, i mostly thought of it as a time of reminiscence, a longing for a time when life was simpler.  and maybe part of that holds true, but the need for change was certainly evident.

i ask myself now, what is so wrong with wanting change?  isn't that part of growing?  like in autumn, nature  withers in order for new growth in spring.  what is wrong with wanting to shed the undesired and fill life with something new and more positive?  why was this "quirk" of mine considered a "flaw" in your eyes?  this belief of yours convinced me that i was self-destructive.  unwanting of happiness.  perhaps you failed to consider that our ideas of happiness did not coincide. 

i consider myself ever-evolving.  continually in tune with what the universe has in store for me.  day by day riding on the waves of destiny.  i gave up fighting change.  i gave in to acceptance.  conformity does not exist in my world.  i've been called a gypsy.  that makes me smile.  maybe i am in a sense, but again..........what is so wrong with that?  maybe what was wrong was that you wanted me to be something i wasn't. or perhaps for a period in my life, i was attempting to be something i wasn't.  perhaps both.  who knows, really?

i find it odd that this blog ended up being about you.  i'll always adore you.  i've no ill words about you, for they do not exist.   i am thankful for your presence in my life.....then, and even more so now. 

i hope you find your kind of happiness.  you deserve it.....as do i. 

my quest for vegan-hood

food.

quite possibly my most favorite word, activity and obsession (other than my dog, cooper).  i like to fancy myself a "foodie".  and one of my most favorite things to do is prepare a meal.  i love being in my kitchen.  i love shopping for food.  i think about food probably more than most people i know.  when going out with friends, i like to know where we are going to eat way beforehand so i can drool over the menu ALL DAY.  i love food.  i love the smell, the sound, the taste and the visual aspect.  food is my obsession, yet also my dilemma. 

a few years ago i stumbled across a book, "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin.

i was tired of the weight i had gained.  i wasn't "fat".  no, nowhere near.  but i had smoked for 9 years and when i quit smoking, i gained 25lbs in 6 months.  25lbs!  when putting on my jeans became an all-out war, i decided i was ready to make some lifestyle changes to get back to my size 6.  a trip to the bookstore resulted in a 3 year struggle with food choices and lifestyle that i still battle.

i didn't realize when i bought "Skinny Bitch" that it was a book about being vegan.  vegan?  no more cheese?  NO WAY!  but, the book was an easy read, very entertaining and...........very eye-opening.  up until that point, i hadn't really given much thought about where my food came from and much less what was in it.  and the chapter on animal slaughter had me sobbing like a damned fool.  (i.love.animals.)  after reading that book, i made a change in my life.  i became a vegetarian with the hopes of someday reaching "vegan-hood".

the hardest part for me, believe it or not, was NOT giving up meat.  it was changing the way i cook.  having to "re-learn" how to cook in a way that was healthy.  constantly researching new recipes for my new lifestyle.  trying new things like tofu and kale.  

i was successful for a short period of time.  thanksgiving and christmas was a bitch!  all that intoxicating aroma of cholesterol washing over me.  but, i made it through.  however, it was difficult diving into this new lifestyle while living with someone who didn't want to jump on the train with you.  eventually, i caved.  i went back to being a shameful carnivore. 

after my divorce, i jumped back on that train.  this time with much more vigor.  i also watched several documentaries and read a few other books on veganism, our sad, sad food industry and the powers of juicing.  let me tell you, juicing makes you feel like a god.  ok, maybe not that awesome, but it does make you feel amazing.  i felt better than i ever had in my life.  i gave up the cheese (my biggest weakness), i gave up coffee (ouch).  i lost about 15 lbs and i had more energy than ever.  i.was.a.vegan.  for a minute.  well, actually about 6 months.  but, thanksgiving and christmas were just around the corner.  i remembered the utter disappointment of my belly from the previous year's holidays.  i didn't know if i could endure that sort of torture again.  so, i came to the decision that i would allow myself a bit o' turkey on thanksgiving and one bratwurst on christmas.  (ok, so ya know......i'm half german.  my family eats brats for christmas because we're cool like that). 

for months i dreamed of thanksgiving.  i couldn't wait for the day.  but before then, my birthday rolled around.  i thought, if i can have turkey on thanksgiving, surely i can have a cheeseburger on my birthday???  (huge cheeseburger FREAK)  i allowed myself this juicy, fatty birthday present and it awarded me a huge tummy ache and maybe a little vomit.  tmi??  but after i recovered, it felt worth it.  i savored that memory until thanksgiving when i was much more careful with my meat intake.  i only had a sample of turkey.  but it was deeeee-lish.  back on the wagon.

christmas 2011 would be the demise of my "vegan" run.  (i put vegan in quotations because well, i DID cheat a couple of days).  i went a little further than just one bratwurst.  i went crazy from christmas until new years.  i gluttonly devoured everything in sight, with the thought "this is my reward for being good".  i'll go back after new years.  well, i didn't and i haven't since then.  add the return of my bad eating habits to my retirement from roller derby in October 2011 and  you have one girl who is back to commencing WWIII with her denim. 

but recently, i feel like i'm finally ready to jump back on that wagon and my plan is to kick it off with a bang and a pow.  one week juice fast.  oh my.  maybe i'll still allow myself a little "present" on the holidays, but i think i learned my lesson.

i know i have a lot of friends who like to poke fun at my choices, but let me encourage you to do the research.  "Skinny Bitch" has a lot of good information to start with.  "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell will blow you away.

if you're not a big reader, watch these documentaries.  they are all on netflix.

Forks Over Knives

Food Matters

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

The Gerson Miracle

that should be enough to get you started.  do your research.  know the facts before you criticize, and that goes for any subject for that matter.  just because you don't understand something, doesn't make it wrong.

i don't claim to be an expert on proper nutrition, i don't claim to be a vegan either.  but......do know that i am trying to do what's best for me.  i'm reading, i'm learning.  i'll get there.

but before i start on my quest again.......do know that i WILL be stuffing my face with everything that i will miss.  just one more sweet love affair with a cheeseburger from claud's, ok....maybe two.

Moving Right Along....

Last month I turned 35.  I'm so close to 40 it's frightening.  But, I'm ok with it.  It's just weird, getting older that is.  I'm 35 but most times I still feel like I'm in my 20's.  Although, I am completely satisfied that my 20's are over.  Some mornings I wake up and feel every bit of 35.  Birthdays and new years always seem to make me evaluate my life and where I am.  This birthday has me feeling pretty great.

I am buying a house!  This is terrifying and exciting all at the same time.  I am completely wrapped up in this process and most times it is overwhelming.  Not only am I buying a house, I am also making big plans for renovating it before I move in.   Paperwork, paperwork, decisions, decisions.  Closing date is October 19th.  I am ready to get all this stuff over with so I can just enjoy my new place.

MY place.  My very own house.  No more throwing money away on rent.  This is exciting stuff.

Other than the temporary stresses of becoming a new homeowner, life is pretty sweet. Although, there has been some drama thrown at me.  But to that drama I say, "You will not penetrate my serenity.  You do not have the power to destroy me".  I don't do petty.

Moving right along..........

One year without her....

Rain and thunder today.  How fitting.  Today marks the one year anniversary of the death of my favorite cat, CC.  She was 13 years old when I lost her.  Everything happened so fast and now I can never have her back.

CC was the friendliest, sweetest cat I have ever known.  Many mornings I would open my eyes to find her laying on my chest and staring at me, just waiting for her moment to greet me with the softest meow.  She loved to follow me around the house, loved attention, loved to snuggle and sleep under the covers at night time.  She had the LONGEST fur and it was every where!!  I now have some of her fur in a plastic bag.  I keep it in a box with her other things.

On my desk is her urn, around my neck a necklace which holds some of her ashes, on my wrist a tattoo of her paw print.  Although she is gone, she is all around me and always with me.  Other than fish, I never had a pet as a child.  Never knew what it was like to lose one for that matter, either.  I wanted a cat for as long as I could remember and the very day I moved out on my own, I got my very own cat, Gato.  One year later, I got another cat, CC.  Two years later I got ANOTHER cat, Kitty.  After that I was set.  Ha!

CC brought me so much joy and comfort.  I miss her dearly and so do my other babies.  Especially, Gato.

As I was waking up this morning, I swear I heard her sweet meow.  I know it was really Gato, but she sounded JUST like CC.  Soft and perfect, sweet and smooth.  It made me cry.

As a pet owner for the last 15 years, I have never been disillusioned to the fact that death is inevitable, but no one ever told me just how much losing a pet would hurt and how even a year later, it can still hurt just as badly. 

I am thankful for the 13 years I got to share with my little furry love.  Today I will visit the lake where I scattered some of her ashes.  I haven't been able to bring myself to visit the lake since the day I laid her to rest.  But today.....I will.



Saying goodbye to my baby girl....

Rest in peace, CC Cat.  Mommy will love you forever and always.