The time has come, the walrus said, for Elizabeth to start a new blog.
Please continue to read my ramblings, over at “Everything but the Kitchn Sink”
Thank you,
Elizabeth
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The time has come, the walrus said, for Elizabeth to start a new blog.
Please continue to read my ramblings, over at “Everything but the Kitchn Sink”
Thank you,
Elizabeth
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One week from today – I will be unemployed.
Two weeks from today – I will be visiting The Boy in Denver
Three weeks from today – I will be packing up my moving truck
Four weeks from today – I will have attended graduate school orientation, and be preparing for the first day of classes!
~~~~
My, how time has flown by! Hard to believe that this time next week, I will have lived at the farm for 2 years and will be leaving my first “real job”, moving on to my next chapter in life – graduate school at The University of North Carolina.
The dogs and I are relaxing and enjoying our remaining weeks here. With all the heat (and mosquitoes), we’ve mostly been staying inside, doing fun things such as baking with zucchini (a future post in itself), watching every episode of House Hunters and The Next Food Network Star, and attempting to start packing.
This weekend’s agenda looks something like this:
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I’m back!
Sorry for the 2 week hiatus. Things have been busy here, mainly concerning Harley’s health (complications from heartworm treatment –> 8 days at vet’s intensive care unit, $1000 in bills, and 7 daily medications).
But, Harley is feeling better these days, and ready to be back on the blog! He also wants me to show the final result from my side table makeover. Remember this $8 guy from the Salvation Army?
Well, it looks much better now (as does Harley).
But first…
Today, my sister took the GRE, since she’s copying me and planning on going to graduate school too (haha). Harley and Sheff sent her a good luck message this morning:
Aren’t they sweet? Thanks for their good wishes, Jenna ended up doing fantastically on the GRE!
OK, back to the table…
So… we I sanded it, removed the weird side handles, and painted it white.
Then, I was all set to decoupage the top surface with a fun fabric. But… it was hard to decide on a color theme, not knowing what the apartment will look like (what stuff my roommate might bring, what season of pyrex I will be displaying, etc… haha!).
And so… my ingenious mother had the idea to fit a piece of glass instead, allowing me to switch out decorative fabric or paper as the season changes. Thankfully, my local glass shop is very affordable, and cut me a piece of glass, and polished the edges for under $5!
Ready for the finished product?
This is my favorite “look” thus far. Bright colors of vintage kitchenware, on a white background.
But we also have the green / nature look:
And this blue/pink/green paisley look:
But really, it only costs $1 in scrapbook paper to change the look, so I could come up with endless possibilities!
So….
Table: $8
Paint supplies: $5
Glass: $5
Paper choices: $3
Total project cost: $21
Brilliant, right? Since my list blog post, I’ve also purchased this wonderful mid-century modern coffee table, which I’m planning on using at the foot of my bed in the new apartment. I would show a picture of it, but it’s currently covered in junk that is going to be donated to a thrift store shortly.
Photos to come, as I clean things out and start packing (ugh).
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Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!
I do not have the pleasure of a long weekend, since I used up my vacation days for last month’s Florida trip. But it’s working out just fine, seeing as though I’m all on my lonesome for the weekend anyway. Wouldn’t want an extra day of solo faux-celebrating, would we? Plus, I’m bringing in my ice cream maker to work tomorrow for a nice treat for the employees. Because I’m nice like that :)
Yesterday I headed to the local farmers market bright and early. I could be like other bloggers and show you mouth watering photographs of colorful, fresh produce. All the heirloom tomatoes, corn, squash, flowers, honey and jams, etc. But seriously, I’m growing most of that here, so I was really just excited about the bread.
There were a few bakery stands at the market, each with equally long lines. I jumped in one line, at the sight of their cinnamon rolls. These babies were huge – easily the size of bricks! They had varieties of sweet and savory baked goods. Sadly (for me), there were no prices on anything, so it was just a guess as to what you would end up paying. I chose not to buy any bread (although the cheddar bread and pecan ciabatta looked delicious!) and stuck with a cinnamon roll. $2 didn’t seem too bad… especially when I spent all morning eating it in my car as I drove from errand to errand.
And no, no pictures of this magnificent, calorically dense wonder. Maybe next weekend.
Other Saturday delights included:
And today is Sunday… SUNDAY (you have to say it in Al Roker’s voice) and I am currently watching the Wimbledon Men’s Finals. Very sad, of course, that Federer is not in the match (isn’t this the first time that’s ever happened!?). Harley, who is currently 13 days into his Heartworm treatment, has thrown up twice, strong yellow stomach acid stains on the carpet (of course), which gives me a fun project for the morning.
So, after the carpets are clean, the winner of Wimbledon declared, the Sunday paper procured and read, I will head to Lowe’s for paint, Kroger for cream, and return for some household projects this afternoon.
Happy 4th of July for tomorrow!
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Happy Summer Solstice!
While other people spend the longest day of the year outside celebrating, soaking up the sun and enjoying the company of loved ones, I was at the dentist.
4 shots of novocain for 2 measly fillings, and 5 hours of numbness that left be unable to speak. If you know me, you know this is NOT my norm!
I also think it’s cruel for the dental hygienist to try to strike up a conversation, when clearly I cannot talk.
“You’re moving? Where”
“Nawf Cawoyina”
“Great! What part?”
“Chapuh Hiw”
“For school?”
“Yea”
“What are you studying?”
“New-twi-sun”
“Well that’s great to hear. How much longer for the degree?”
At this point, I gave up, pretended I couldn’t hear her and headed to the reception. Luckily, the receptionist was a dear and just said “You’re good to go Elizabeth, we’ll file the insurance”.
At least SOMEONE understands not to mess with me. It’s just wrong to do that to us numb patients…
So, I came back, greeted Sheff (Harley is at the vet for 72 hours for his heartworm treatment) and checked out the garden.
HOLY SQUASH!
I hadn’t seen the garden in several days due to my Denver trip. The recent rain turned my veggies into overdrive!
There were 3 or 4 yellow squash ready for the picking, a monstrous zucchini (30 ounces!!), and at least 40 tomatoes on the plants (still green). BUT.. the most exciting thing for me was the baby butternuts. They’re everywhere! I feel like I heard somewhere that you should pull off some of the developing squash, so the plant can concentrate into just making a few extra-awesome butternuts, rather than numerous mediocre butternuts… anyone concur? Not sure I want to abort these guys though… I might give them all a chance.
And so… what to do with the zucchini with a BMI of 50? Make zucchini bread, of course!
Everything tastes better in Pyrex!
And even better with a Pyrex pot holder!
Apparently we’re having some crazy storm right now. The sky is black, the wind is crazy, and Sheff is in the bath tub. Better go find my flash light and be prepared!
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I took a quick trip to Denver this weekend to visit The Boy, who is now living the life in a great apartment with a garage, crown molding, daily trash service, and his double reclining couch. Must be nice!
Denver seems to be a great city. Especially for those interested in good health (me!) – there were walking/biking trails everywhere, plenty of parks and outdoor activities (most cars had bike/ski/boat racks), and a majority of citizens with BMI below 25 (or maybe 28… haha, still better than here in the south!).
We had a great, but quick, 43 hours together. Activities included:
Sadly, the only picture on my camera to remember the weekend is of the monstrous rice krispy treats sold at the festival:
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I had a very successful thrifting afternoon today, and picked up some great deals. One of which has to do with my latest hobby….. Pinterest.
One of my latest pins is this re-done side table – painted white and decoupaged with colorful fabric. And of course, I decided that I could tackle this project. Too bad my handyman mom is back in Texas (and she took her sander too!)
I had seen a similar vintage side table at my local Habitat Re-Store for $4, which would have been perfect, but it’s since been sold.
Today, I found this guy at my local Salvation Army store, for $8:
I think it should work well. It’s a sturdy table, in pretty good shape, with clean lines. Not sure why it has handles on the sides though??
I will likely remove those guys.
Of course now I have to pick what type/color/pattern fabric to use for the top of the table. Which means I need to figure out where the table will go (side table for couch in living room, most likely) and what the color scheme will be (no idea, since roommate is supplying the couch).
Any thoughts? If you browse my boards on Pinterest, you can see that I have an obsession with red and aqua together… so maybe something along those lines.
Stay tuned for more updates on project table!
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Greetings
I am a lone farmer again. The parents + sister + beagle + lab are back in Texas, leaving me with my garden and barkers.
Our Florida trip was lots of fun. We visited sites such as:
Tarpon Springs had great Greek food, dolphins, and shoulder-burning sun:(
My cousin’s segregated HS graduation (kidding! the smart kids wear white gowns, the regulars are in green.)
Back at the farm….
I have eight weeks of work left, followed by a trip to Denver to see The Boy, followed by a move to NC, followed by the beginning of graduate school. Exciting!
My plants are all doing fabulously, despite my being gone for a week and mother nature slacking on her watering responsibilities. I have baby tomatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash on the plants already, as well as cantaloupe and butternut vines that are starting their growth spurts (those vines seriously grow a foot a day later in the summer!)
Without my mom here (I was spoiled for the past 4 months!), I am now responsible for:
Oh… and you didn’t think I could write a Pyrex-less post, did you?
Look what I picked up in Florida!
My first complete refrigerator set! It may appear bizarre to meet a fellow (yet stranger) Pyrex collector in the parking lot of Starbucks for a purchase, but that’s me. I had heard that Florida was the mecca of vintage Pyrex, as all the elderly snowbirds (who have a lot of Pyrex) eventually die and leave their Pyrex behind. I hope that’s not too morbid sounding, but it’s true! So.. I started searching the Tampa and Orlando craigslist weeks before my trip for possible sales :)
This particular seller was very friendly, another collector who has decided to focus on just pinks (more of a treasure hunt for those!) and even held this set for me as I traveled all the way from TN! She packed it all up carefully for me too – thanks!
So… my new apartment in Chapel Hill is going to be full of Pyrex, and particularly this Butterfly Gold pattern. This makes 19 pieces that I own in this pattern, including mugs, juice glasses, casserole dishes and various mixing bowls. Success!
Let’s just hope my new roommate doesn’t mind…..
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