Recently, I have been more active on Twitter. I've had an account for over a year, but couldn't figure out how to work it. I still don't. All those hashmarks # and @s confuse the heck out of me. So I Tweet as a beginner and learn as I go.
I admire the witty, pithy writing of some of those I follow and want to just as witty and pithy as they are. I can do this. I can write. I can blog. Anne of Green Gables was told to write about what she knows. I can be Anne of Green Gables. I can be Kelly Anne of Archer Lodge, can't I? So what if no one reads these blasted things. I shall blog to sharpen my mind and increase my vocabulary.
My brain, which was once able to connect it's synapses at the speed of sound, has sadly slowed, struggling to connect and even find the words I want to say when I want to speak. Stress? Old age? Kids? Lack of sleep? Too many carbs? Probably a combination of all of them. Perhaps by taking the time to think before actually writing something down with enable me to be better able to string together clear thoughts and produce them in coherent sentences before I speak. It may help my find that word for that utensil we use with the prongs on it. Fork, you say? Thank you.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
On Garden Tubs and Cleaning Bathrooms
I finally kicked lazy to the curb and cleaned my bathroom this morning. I jokingly say that if Family Services were to come to my door, they would remove my children because of the condition of the bathroom. Do you have to VACUUM dog hair from your bathroom? I do. Is your vanity covered with a nice film of hairspray and other hair products? Mine is. The boys' bathroom is kept somewhat clean, as it is also the hall bathroom. But the master bath? I think David and I have a silent game of who can ignore it the longest...
When we bought this house in '98, one of the delightful features of the Master Bath was the elegant garden tub. I pictured hanging a small shabby chic chandelier from the ceiling, and having romantic evenings with candles, bubble bath and champagne. That hasn't exactly happened. The only moaning and groaning the tub has seen was the few hours I spent laboring in it with Conor. In fact, I think it has been mostly used for bathing children and washing the dog.
There is no romance in cleaning a separate garden tub and shower! There is no sexy in wearing your "cleaning clothes" with a bottle of Clorox Clean Up in one hand, and a ratty old cleaning rag in the other!
In my next home, the Master Bath will not have a bathtub. It will have a huge tiled shower with double shower heads and a place to sit. It will have a seamless entry, so that I can easily roll on up in my wheelchair--because I'll be in my 80's before I could save for a bath like that...
Isn't that romantic?
When we bought this house in '98, one of the delightful features of the Master Bath was the elegant garden tub. I pictured hanging a small shabby chic chandelier from the ceiling, and having romantic evenings with candles, bubble bath and champagne. That hasn't exactly happened. The only moaning and groaning the tub has seen was the few hours I spent laboring in it with Conor. In fact, I think it has been mostly used for bathing children and washing the dog.
There is no romance in cleaning a separate garden tub and shower! There is no sexy in wearing your "cleaning clothes" with a bottle of Clorox Clean Up in one hand, and a ratty old cleaning rag in the other!
In my next home, the Master Bath will not have a bathtub. It will have a huge tiled shower with double shower heads and a place to sit. It will have a seamless entry, so that I can easily roll on up in my wheelchair--because I'll be in my 80's before I could save for a bath like that...
Isn't that romantic?
Monday, May 16, 2011
Free Range Eggs and EOGs
Tomorrow, my boys will start to take the NC EOGs (End of Grade tests). Since I've been feeding them Dunkin Donuts for the past two days, I decided that on the morning of the tests this week, I will make them a lovely breakfast that won't leave them crashing by noon.
Lucky for me, right down the road is a sign that states "Free Range Eggs from Eggstaordinary Chickens". Right, then! My boys will have free range eggs for breakfast! I called ahead to the phone number on the sign, and then drove down a long, winding driveway and pulled around the back of a lovely red farmhouse.
I was pleasantly greeted by Diane and Steve Mullhollem. Diane and Steve have lived on the property since 1972. They have numerous breeds of chickens and a few roosters, too. It's a beautiful little farm, one that I imagine myself living on. The chickens are fed organic feed, and they run around in a giant chicken playground. They have brown eggs and white eggs for $2.50 per dozen. I now know exactly where our eggs are coming from!
In chatting with Diane and Steve, I found out that their grandson, Dillon, play on the Corinth Holders Pirates baseball team, and that Diane knows my Dad because she works at First Citizens Bank in Clayton. Small world. I love living the rural life in Archer Lodge...
Stop in and pick up a dozen or so of these beautiful eggs. Cedar Bottom Farm is located on Buffalo Road in Archer Lodge. Give them a call at (919) 553-5309.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Non-blogging
How likely of me to start a blog and not keep up with it. Please stay tuned as I figure out how all this works, and I blog properly...
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Passing
This has been a difficult week for me and many close to me and to thousands of people I don't know. Never before have I been reminded so much of the preciousness of life. My heart aches for the families of those killed in the Haitian earthquake and for those dying and left behind. The faces of despair and anguish make me want to pack a little bag and take whatever flight I can to go and help. An American doctor today has witnessed a woman's three children die, and another dying of infection. We have donated to the Red Cross and are emptying the closets for clothes and supplies, but it just doesn't seem like enough...
Thoughts and prayers are out to a dear friend who is suffering the sudden loss of his mother and to another who's beloved "Gram" has passed away. A hospital co-worker and her daughter were killed in an auto accident, and the 5 year anniversary of "Paddy's" passing was marked this week.
I remember as a child, everything bad happened to everyone around me. Rarely, with the exception of the passing of my grandfather, was I ever directly affected by someone's death. I was protected by degrees of separation where these events were experienced passively. Sadly, as I grow older, know more people and know more "older" people, these events become closer and closer to me.
The only thing I can do is hug a little tighter, be a little sweeter, and love a whole lot more...
Thoughts and prayers are out to a dear friend who is suffering the sudden loss of his mother and to another who's beloved "Gram" has passed away. A hospital co-worker and her daughter were killed in an auto accident, and the 5 year anniversary of "Paddy's" passing was marked this week.
I remember as a child, everything bad happened to everyone around me. Rarely, with the exception of the passing of my grandfather, was I ever directly affected by someone's death. I was protected by degrees of separation where these events were experienced passively. Sadly, as I grow older, know more people and know more "older" people, these events become closer and closer to me.
The only thing I can do is hug a little tighter, be a little sweeter, and love a whole lot more...
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Sunday Roast
One of my New Year resolutions is to cook more. Over the Christmas holidays, I realized how much I enjoy being in the kitchen. I baked a truckload of cookies (as the waistline can prove) and made a few family dinners. I took personal delight and pride seeing how much my family enjoyed what I made.
I am married to a professional chef turned real estate agent. As he has become busier in real estate (just busier, not yet quit the second job busy) our delicious home-cooked meals have become fewer and far between. I have decided to cook at least 3 dinners (REAL dinners) a week, with a new tradition of the Sunday roast. The Sunday roast, of course, is nothing new. In our house, however, the only think I've roasted were chickens. I believe I have perfected the roasted chicken with fresh herbs. Even ventured into making homemade gravy. My husband says that my gravy is perfect... I take that as a huge complement coming from a chef.
Last Sunday, I started my roast tradition with a pork roast. I like pork and I think a good pork roast tends to be forgotten amongst it's more popular siblings; pork chops, tenderloin and ham. We had a real family dinner with my parents, my brother and his family joining us.
Today I shall attempt to conquer the roast beef. Growing up, I HATED roast beef. It always seemed too dry (gravy was too "icky" for me as a child) and didn't have too much flavor. It wasn't very appetizing being served next to boxed mashed potatoes and canned string beans. Don't get me wrong, my mom was and still is an excellent cook--she just had a small army to feed and for ease of execution used prepared foods. I grew up in the era when the microwave was the most important tool in the kitchen.
Gotta go. It's time to take the roast out of the refrigerator and let it sit for an hour at room temperature, just as the recipe says. I'm going to roast it directly on the oven rack and make gravy from the drippings. I'll let you know how it turns out...
I am married to a professional chef turned real estate agent. As he has become busier in real estate (just busier, not yet quit the second job busy) our delicious home-cooked meals have become fewer and far between. I have decided to cook at least 3 dinners (REAL dinners) a week, with a new tradition of the Sunday roast. The Sunday roast, of course, is nothing new. In our house, however, the only think I've roasted were chickens. I believe I have perfected the roasted chicken with fresh herbs. Even ventured into making homemade gravy. My husband says that my gravy is perfect... I take that as a huge complement coming from a chef.
Last Sunday, I started my roast tradition with a pork roast. I like pork and I think a good pork roast tends to be forgotten amongst it's more popular siblings; pork chops, tenderloin and ham. We had a real family dinner with my parents, my brother and his family joining us.
Today I shall attempt to conquer the roast beef. Growing up, I HATED roast beef. It always seemed too dry (gravy was too "icky" for me as a child) and didn't have too much flavor. It wasn't very appetizing being served next to boxed mashed potatoes and canned string beans. Don't get me wrong, my mom was and still is an excellent cook--she just had a small army to feed and for ease of execution used prepared foods. I grew up in the era when the microwave was the most important tool in the kitchen.
Gotta go. It's time to take the roast out of the refrigerator and let it sit for an hour at room temperature, just as the recipe says. I'm going to roast it directly on the oven rack and make gravy from the drippings. I'll let you know how it turns out...
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